I bought John a doughnut at Meijer today. He often gets one when he shops with me. Yes, I know, shameless bribery. But it does make him more eager to come to the store, and sometimes it is necessary to bring him.
Today was especially tricky. I needed to shop during the 90-minute fencing class that James is taking this week. Margaret was at a friend's house, so that left me the two little ones for a whirlwind grocery run. I mapped out the nearest Meijer to the fencing gym - 11 minutes away, according to Google Maps. For a variety of reasons, we arrived at fencing 5 minutes late. That left me precisely 63 minutes to park, shop, check out, load the car. Easy, you say? Perhaps for some. But I figure a Meijer round-trip (door-to-door) is typically 2 hours on my own, and 2.5-3 hours with "helpers." Fortunately, my list today was very short.
I needed a good bribe today, and I couldn't risk the bribe slowing us down, so I had to withhold it until the end. John was told that he would only get the doughnut if he could help me get through the store quickly enough. He did an excellent job. When I was picking up baby food pouches for my upcoming trip, John enthusiastically scooped up an armful and tossed it in the cart. Don't know what flavors we got, but John made sure we'll have enough!
So, I let him choose a doughnut as the last thing into the cart. He chose a suitably disgusting-looking one, with a huge glob of brown chocolate frosting and a gummy worm emerging from the top. Much of the chocolate frosting ended up on the toe of his shoe in a big glop, but hey, that's what crocs were made for!
We did arrive 5 minutes late to get James, but I will blame that on the emergency bathroom stop at Meijer. While I suppose I just should have planned for that, I had sent John just before we left home to the bathroom, so I was counting on not having to do that again.
Still, I didn't begrudge John the doughnut. Not only did he try his best to get us through quickly, but as we were loading the car (and he was licking the final crumbs from his fingers) he exclaimed, "Mom, I love doughnuts. And I love you even more than a doughnut. [Long pause.] I even love you more than TWO doughnuts!"
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Big sister is watching
I had a bit of a surprise when I went up to bed the other night. On the floor, propped against my closed door, were three small sheets of paper torn from a mini-notebook. They were neatly lined up so that they could be read in the proper order. It is hard to say whether they would more appropriately be taken as a note or a warning shot over the bow.
In case you are unable to decipher the handwriting, here is a transcription, without editing:
So there. I have learned several things from this event.
1. Maggie has decided to start making to-do lists in a notebook that she keeps on her nightstand.
2. Maggie does not always fall asleep as soon as put to bed, like she used to do.
3. No matter how late I wait for the kids to fall asleep before I pull out the ice cream for my bedtime snack, they can apparently hear me.
4. No matter how good my logic seems to myself - I had given up on this occasion on waiting for James to go to bed (it is summer, after all, and he is getting older) and just shared the ice cream with him - it will seem unfair to Maggie. (Actually, I didn't just learn this - I definitely already knew about her overdeveloped sense of fairness.)
5. The ominous tone popping in and out of the note indicates that Maggie is no longer a little kid, but a big kid, and not to be trifled with!
I am not sure what the sudden appearance of the to-do lists mean, but given my lousy track-record this summer for keeping the schedule in order, I guess I will take help from all comers.
 |
| There are THREE pages in this photo. If you only see two, then click on the photo for an enlarged screen view. |
Take off and put on nail polish
Call Mrs. Huizing and ask her to wright 1-7 pages about being in the church family and what it is lik to be a mentor and how to do it.
Ask Mom for ice cream because James had it.
LOOK
Find out tunes to two new songs and find out or remind Mom to get video of Maggie P.O.F. (Profession of Faith)
To Mom and Dad, From Maggie
Read both pages
P.S. You will be getting these almost every night from me so watch for them
Love Maggie
So there. I have learned several things from this event.
1. Maggie has decided to start making to-do lists in a notebook that she keeps on her nightstand.
2. Maggie does not always fall asleep as soon as put to bed, like she used to do.
3. No matter how late I wait for the kids to fall asleep before I pull out the ice cream for my bedtime snack, they can apparently hear me.
4. No matter how good my logic seems to myself - I had given up on this occasion on waiting for James to go to bed (it is summer, after all, and he is getting older) and just shared the ice cream with him - it will seem unfair to Maggie. (Actually, I didn't just learn this - I definitely already knew about her overdeveloped sense of fairness.)
5. The ominous tone popping in and out of the note indicates that Maggie is no longer a little kid, but a big kid, and not to be trifled with!
I am not sure what the sudden appearance of the to-do lists mean, but given my lousy track-record this summer for keeping the schedule in order, I guess I will take help from all comers.
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Busy day
We had a busy day, of sorts. Actually, it was kind of an exponentially increasing pace up through bedtime for the kids.
The kids slept in a bit, then played outside a while. Maggie even consented to play make-believe with John for a while, which made him ecstatic.
The house was filled with almost constant piano music, since we reinstated the summer rule (one-to-one equivalent screen time is earned with music practice time). This year, we allowed them to pool their music time for collective cartoon-watching, which had the unexpectedly positive effect of spurring them to work together. "Maggie, you read to John so he won't cause trouble while I practice for 15 minutes. Then, I will take John for a bike ride while you practice for 15 minutes." Even John wants to help. He isn't taking music lessons, but negotiated with me that if he "practices" piano, his time can also add to the screen time total. I assented.
We eventually got a menu plan for the week finalized, and a shopping list together. Maggie helpfully made an early lunch (mini-pizzas, the kids' favorite choice) so we could get off to Meijer. With 4 kids, it feels more like a polar expedition than a grocery shopping trip, but we got everyone there with all the required gear. (List? Check. Purse? Check. Diaper bag? Check. Baby backpack to carry Helen? Check. Shoes for each person? Check. Shirt for each person? Check. Snacks? Check.) The whole trip didn't go too badly, except for the low moment involving potato chips. (I had told the kids that they could each choose one food item "treat." Candy was excluded, though John pushed that limit with giant, pink and white marshmallows. James wanted shells to try making homemade cannoli. Maggie wanted salt-and-vinegar potato chips. I agreed they could snack on the chips in the store, then got distracted looking for produce. When I next tuned in, the 16-oz bag was almost empty. Ugh. And James ate almost none of those, so double ugh. There goes 10 servings of chips between two kids who together weigh less than one adult.
Back at home, I got the groceries put away and started to pull out things for dinner. Then, Jeremy walked in, earlier than I expected. I had forgotten (but glad that he hadn't) that it was my night for Yoga class. So, I zipped out the door while he made dinner instead. James also zipped out the door to ride his bike over to swim team practice. I returned from yoga an hour later feeling relaxed and refreshed, just perfect to make the transportation plan with Jeremy.
"It is 5:30. Nobody has had dinner yet since it won't come out of the oven until 5:50. John needs to be at swim team practice at 6:00. Maggie needs to be at piano practice at 6:00. James needs to be picked up from swim team practice at 6:10 and taken to piano practice at 6:30. Maggie and James need to be brought home at 7:00. John needs to be retrieved from the pool and hustled through the shower at 7:00. "
Somehow, we worked all that out, but I felt grateful that (a) we have a second car and (b) this is only the second, and definitely the last, week that swim team and piano times conflict.
We all reassembled at home at 7:15 for dinner - burrito bean bake. Nothing fancy, and a bit shy on veggies, but all will eat it without complaint. At 7:45, we should have left well enough alone, but tonight was the transit of Venus across the sun, and it will be the last such occurrence for the next 100+ years. So, we had to go, right? Off the Calvin observatory we went. Actually, we didn't end up waiting in line to use the big telescope, but just watched the reflection card set up on the roof of the science building, plus some special sun-viewing sunglasses that allowed us to look directly at the sun. Both were fun. John just liked being up on a fourth-story roof, and out past his bedtime. Probably worth the meltdown that came as he was actually tucked in bed at 9:30 tonight. Ahh, memories.
The kids slept in a bit, then played outside a while. Maggie even consented to play make-believe with John for a while, which made him ecstatic.
The house was filled with almost constant piano music, since we reinstated the summer rule (one-to-one equivalent screen time is earned with music practice time). This year, we allowed them to pool their music time for collective cartoon-watching, which had the unexpectedly positive effect of spurring them to work together. "Maggie, you read to John so he won't cause trouble while I practice for 15 minutes. Then, I will take John for a bike ride while you practice for 15 minutes." Even John wants to help. He isn't taking music lessons, but negotiated with me that if he "practices" piano, his time can also add to the screen time total. I assented.
We eventually got a menu plan for the week finalized, and a shopping list together. Maggie helpfully made an early lunch (mini-pizzas, the kids' favorite choice) so we could get off to Meijer. With 4 kids, it feels more like a polar expedition than a grocery shopping trip, but we got everyone there with all the required gear. (List? Check. Purse? Check. Diaper bag? Check. Baby backpack to carry Helen? Check. Shoes for each person? Check. Shirt for each person? Check. Snacks? Check.) The whole trip didn't go too badly, except for the low moment involving potato chips. (I had told the kids that they could each choose one food item "treat." Candy was excluded, though John pushed that limit with giant, pink and white marshmallows. James wanted shells to try making homemade cannoli. Maggie wanted salt-and-vinegar potato chips. I agreed they could snack on the chips in the store, then got distracted looking for produce. When I next tuned in, the 16-oz bag was almost empty. Ugh. And James ate almost none of those, so double ugh. There goes 10 servings of chips between two kids who together weigh less than one adult.
Back at home, I got the groceries put away and started to pull out things for dinner. Then, Jeremy walked in, earlier than I expected. I had forgotten (but glad that he hadn't) that it was my night for Yoga class. So, I zipped out the door while he made dinner instead. James also zipped out the door to ride his bike over to swim team practice. I returned from yoga an hour later feeling relaxed and refreshed, just perfect to make the transportation plan with Jeremy.
"It is 5:30. Nobody has had dinner yet since it won't come out of the oven until 5:50. John needs to be at swim team practice at 6:00. Maggie needs to be at piano practice at 6:00. James needs to be picked up from swim team practice at 6:10 and taken to piano practice at 6:30. Maggie and James need to be brought home at 7:00. John needs to be retrieved from the pool and hustled through the shower at 7:00. "
Somehow, we worked all that out, but I felt grateful that (a) we have a second car and (b) this is only the second, and definitely the last, week that swim team and piano times conflict.
We all reassembled at home at 7:15 for dinner - burrito bean bake. Nothing fancy, and a bit shy on veggies, but all will eat it without complaint. At 7:45, we should have left well enough alone, but tonight was the transit of Venus across the sun, and it will be the last such occurrence for the next 100+ years. So, we had to go, right? Off the Calvin observatory we went. Actually, we didn't end up waiting in line to use the big telescope, but just watched the reflection card set up on the roof of the science building, plus some special sun-viewing sunglasses that allowed us to look directly at the sun. Both were fun. John just liked being up on a fourth-story roof, and out past his bedtime. Probably worth the meltdown that came as he was actually tucked in bed at 9:30 tonight. Ahh, memories.
More about Helen at 16 months
I guess I wasn't complete enough in my previous description. Helen, as a fourth child, won't have the complete record of first words or all those other firsts that I (mostly) managed to write down for James. But, every now and then, I will try to get down a bit. These lists are in no particular order.
2. Riding a bike. Her new trick - she begs and whines to be put up on the bike in front of one of the older kids. She acts like she doesn't realize that she can't reach the handlebars or pedals, and is actually just biking along on her own.
3. Driving the car. If left free in a (parked) vehicle, she makes a beeline for the driver's seat, where she stands up and holds the steering wheel, flipping on every lightswitch, wiper blade, etc. She will briefly pause every minute or so to shriek with delight.
4. Buckling a buckle. She likes to buckle carseat buckles, highchair buckles, whatever she can get to. We have left her old infant seat in the living room just for her to buckle. If it is already buckled when she finds it, she comes and pulls on me and chatters worriedly at me until I come open it for her so that she can buckle it again.
Helen's current favorites list
Toys
1. The baby doll stroller that was Maggie's 2nd birthday present from Great-grandma Root
2. The orange plastic choking hazards...I mean, traffic cones... that came with a remote-control car set. I have collected them all up and put them away many times, and she still manages to find more every time I turn around. She seems to love that they just perfectly fit in her mouth.
3. The nerf darts/bullets that go with all the nerf guns in the house. Where do these choking hazards come from? These are ditto to item 2 above.
4. The baby hairbrush. Jeremy occasionally would take it out of the bathroom drawer and brush her hair. From this, she has taught herself to sneak into the bathroom, open the right drawer, feel around in the drawer(over her head) until she has it (she isn't tall enough to actually see in the drawer), then brush her hair. This makes her laugh excessively if she gets this far.
5. Any toy from Maggie's room. She doesn't care at all which one. She just seems to love getting into Maggie's room and playing with something, because it gets such a rise out of Maggie. Maggie tries to keep her door shut all the time to ward off Helen and Barbarians (in that order). Helen watches for the door to be unlatched then darts in and pulls things off the shelf willy-nilly. She is often quite sneaky, but sometimes, she gets to giggling and squealing so delightedly that it gives her away.
6. Anything to do with the toilet: Toilet paper, bowl brush, just the water in the bowl itself. We have all learned to keep the bathroom doors shut, and to listen for the telltale splashing sounds that mean she has found an open door. No plumber calls yet, but some pretty unpleasant clean-up jobs. I sometimes thinks she does this just because she likes a bath so much, and she always gets one after splashing in the toilet.
7. Keys. Key fobs with buttons to push are best.
If you are keeping track, you might have noticed that nothing on this list is actually a toy intended for Helen's use.
We are relieved that her interest is waning in her past favorite toy - the drawer under the oven. It seemed cute enough that she liked to pull it open and climb in, but then we discovered that when the oven was on, it was hot enough above the drawer to burn her. Ouch!
Books
1. Goodnight Moon. Endlessly.
2. Any of the "Peek-a-boo" board books - like Baby Baa Baa (we have 3 or 4 of them). She finally stopped chewing them (mostly).
3. Any book that doesn't last too long.
4. Any book that does last too long, as long as she is allowed to eat it when it gets tedious.
Activities
1. Taking a walk, outside. She will deliver shoes and jacket to you if you are too slow to take her out.2. Riding a bike. Her new trick - she begs and whines to be put up on the bike in front of one of the older kids. She acts like she doesn't realize that she can't reach the handlebars or pedals, and is actually just biking along on her own.
3. Driving the car. If left free in a (parked) vehicle, she makes a beeline for the driver's seat, where she stands up and holds the steering wheel, flipping on every lightswitch, wiper blade, etc. She will briefly pause every minute or so to shriek with delight.
4. Buckling a buckle. She likes to buckle carseat buckles, highchair buckles, whatever she can get to. We have left her old infant seat in the living room just for her to buckle. If it is already buckled when she finds it, she comes and pulls on me and chatters worriedly at me until I come open it for her so that she can buckle it again.
Foods
1. The new baby food "pouches" that are baby self-serve. They have what seems to be regular baby food, but she can suck the food out of them like a baby bottle or juice box. She loves to be able to feed herself this way.
2. Watermelon. Quickly replacing bananas as the one food guaranteed to make her jump up and down and point and squeal.
3. Baby cereal mixed with applesauce. (As long as she gets to feed herself - a messy undertaking. But if you try to feed her with a spoon she will turn her face away repeatedly and defiantly.)
4. Apple chunks.
5. Any dessert. She now recognizes cake, cookies, ice cream.
6. In developing news - she apparently fell in love with salt and vinegar potato chips today. She begged for one; she made a terrible, puckery, surprised face when she tasted it; then she reached out and begged for another.
Baby Signs
1. She shakes her head "no" to answer "yes" to a question. But she grins while she does it, so we can tell she means "yes." If she actually means "no," then she just grimaces and turns her face away.
2. She claps her hands to ask for "more, please" when eating.
3. She points a finger into her mouth to ask for a drink.
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Helen at (almost) 16 months
Helen is (still) a delight to us all - she has such a personality, all to herself, yet is (mostly) easygoing and good-natured. I wanted to write down a bit of what she is like at age 16 months, because I know I won't remember as she grows and changes so quickly in the coming months.
Helen is still small - barely over 20 pounds. She is our uniquely light-weight, petite child. She does manage to grow hair, though. Her dark blonde/light brown hair is not super-thick, but does cover her head (unlike Maggie's or John's at this age, as I recall). It is straighter than Maggie's was, yet it does have some cute ringlets around her ears.
Helen continues to love music and dance. When Jeremy turns on music in the car, she instantly begins to "head-bang" along with it. She grins and silently bops her head in time to the beat. She seems to enjoy all music, though to Jeremy's great surprise and delight, Big Country is a clear favorite of hers. When not strapped into her carseat, she will sway and dance to music. The other day, as we were driving on a bumpy road, she began to "sing" in the way Jeremy taught her months ago. (He taught her to just say a long "Laaaa" sound while he patted a hand on her mouth to make an Indian war-call type sound.) On the road, she sang her Laaaa and got the wavering sound from the jolting of the car. She thought this was really neat.
Helen continues to be a climber. We routinely keep all the counter stools tipped over in the kitchen to prevent her from climbing onto the counter. She generally puts up with this and contents herself with sitting or walking on the kitchen table (we can't manage to keep all the chairs tipped over all the time, too). But, when desperate, she tries to lift a stool back upright (she can't, yet) so she can get to higher places. She is also quite happy to push stools or chairs around the kitchen to find new places to climb onto.
Another fascination of Helen's right now is buckles. Her highchair strap is acceptable, and I can occupy her for a few moments with the strap on a diaper-changing station in a public restroom, but what she really likes is to stand up (backwards) in her carseat and buckle her carseat straps. If I try to place her in the carseat and strap her in (to go somewhere), she often makes a fuss, arches her back, refuses to go in. (And she is distressingly strong for a 20-pound person!) But, if I let her turn around and play with the buckle, she instead begins to giggle, almost uncontrollably, while she fiddles away with the plastic pieces. Hmm....
Helen also loves to take a bath, which has been true for most of her life. While we were camping last weekend, I unthinkingly said to someone, in her hearing, "Helen sure is dirty. She needs a bath." She perked right up in my lap and started squirming around, looking for a bathtub. She also began pulling off her clothing. She was quite put out with me after I explained that she couldn't have a bath right then and there.
Which suggests another important point about Helen. She still doesn't say much, which makes it dangerously easy to forget that she understands so much. She is listening all the time, and probably understanding much more than I think to expect. When asked where a person is (Where is Maggie?), she turns to look right at the correct person. She follows (when she feels like it) simple commands, like "Put your hands on your head." (This was Jeremy's idea and is immensely helpful during diaper changes.) She will, if asked, take something to the kitchen trash and throw it away - she loves this job. She can, when asked, go and look for her shoes or jacket (and sometimes even find them).
Helen does have a few words now. She says regularly (and understandably):
Helen is showing definite signs of a strong independent streak. She prefers to feed herself, and unless she is truly starving, she would rather not eat than be fed by someone else. Which does present a bit of a challenge, both from a nutritional and mess-containment stance, but we are working it out. She already does not care to hold hands while walking. She will squirm her hand right out of mine - something that I think John didn't start until he was two. If she proves to be more stubborn and more independent than John, we could be in for trouble.
Helen is still small - barely over 20 pounds. She is our uniquely light-weight, petite child. She does manage to grow hair, though. Her dark blonde/light brown hair is not super-thick, but does cover her head (unlike Maggie's or John's at this age, as I recall). It is straighter than Maggie's was, yet it does have some cute ringlets around her ears.
Helen continues to love music and dance. When Jeremy turns on music in the car, she instantly begins to "head-bang" along with it. She grins and silently bops her head in time to the beat. She seems to enjoy all music, though to Jeremy's great surprise and delight, Big Country is a clear favorite of hers. When not strapped into her carseat, she will sway and dance to music. The other day, as we were driving on a bumpy road, she began to "sing" in the way Jeremy taught her months ago. (He taught her to just say a long "Laaaa" sound while he patted a hand on her mouth to make an Indian war-call type sound.) On the road, she sang her Laaaa and got the wavering sound from the jolting of the car. She thought this was really neat.
Helen continues to be a climber. We routinely keep all the counter stools tipped over in the kitchen to prevent her from climbing onto the counter. She generally puts up with this and contents herself with sitting or walking on the kitchen table (we can't manage to keep all the chairs tipped over all the time, too). But, when desperate, she tries to lift a stool back upright (she can't, yet) so she can get to higher places. She is also quite happy to push stools or chairs around the kitchen to find new places to climb onto.
Another fascination of Helen's right now is buckles. Her highchair strap is acceptable, and I can occupy her for a few moments with the strap on a diaper-changing station in a public restroom, but what she really likes is to stand up (backwards) in her carseat and buckle her carseat straps. If I try to place her in the carseat and strap her in (to go somewhere), she often makes a fuss, arches her back, refuses to go in. (And she is distressingly strong for a 20-pound person!) But, if I let her turn around and play with the buckle, she instead begins to giggle, almost uncontrollably, while she fiddles away with the plastic pieces. Hmm....
Helen also loves to take a bath, which has been true for most of her life. While we were camping last weekend, I unthinkingly said to someone, in her hearing, "Helen sure is dirty. She needs a bath." She perked right up in my lap and started squirming around, looking for a bathtub. She also began pulling off her clothing. She was quite put out with me after I explained that she couldn't have a bath right then and there.
Which suggests another important point about Helen. She still doesn't say much, which makes it dangerously easy to forget that she understands so much. She is listening all the time, and probably understanding much more than I think to expect. When asked where a person is (Where is Maggie?), she turns to look right at the correct person. She follows (when she feels like it) simple commands, like "Put your hands on your head." (This was Jeremy's idea and is immensely helpful during diaper changes.) She will, if asked, take something to the kitchen trash and throw it away - she loves this job. She can, when asked, go and look for her shoes or jacket (and sometimes even find them).
Helen does have a few words now. She says regularly (and understandably):
- shoes
- highchair
- book.
- Mom
- Dad
- woof-woof (for any 4-legged animal)
- bird
- 'pa! (Grandpa/Grandma).
- Thank-you
- Side (She asked a few times recently to switch sides when nursing.)
- "Big Brother James" (we aren't so positive about this one, but James insists she was calling him that)
- drink (points one finger into her mouth)
- more (claps her hands together)
- I want that (she holds out her hand, imperiously, palm up, and makes a grabbing motion by curling in her fingers).
Helen is showing definite signs of a strong independent streak. She prefers to feed herself, and unless she is truly starving, she would rather not eat than be fed by someone else. Which does present a bit of a challenge, both from a nutritional and mess-containment stance, but we are working it out. She already does not care to hold hands while walking. She will squirm her hand right out of mine - something that I think John didn't start until he was two. If she proves to be more stubborn and more independent than John, we could be in for trouble.
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Big dreams
"Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration."Great inventors need to invest blood, sweat, and tears. That is the 99% perspiration of the famous Thomas Edison quotation. Nothing comes to fruition without the developer having the technical knowledge and skills to make an idea a reality, as well as the perseverance to try out the permutations.Still, that other 1% - the inspiration - is a pesky minority. It may be minor, but it is also essential. You can't have a successful invention with only the other 99%. You have to start with a good idea.
I have never deluded myself that I will possess the genius of the great inventors. I will avoid false modestly and state simply that I possess many of the traits needed for the 99%. I am diligent (when I want to be). I am educated and well-trained. I have the technical abilities in my toolbox. But I don't think I have that essential 1% spark of genius. I think, in my most essential core, I am just too chicken. I see all the "why nots" too soon to ever develop a nascent idea. I won't waste any tears over that; I don't think it inhibits me from doing my own job, which I like doing. And if 1% of the students I teach over the years go on to have that 1% inspiration for genius, it won't come from me. But I like to think that I will have contributed to the other 99% of their make-up, that allows their 1% spark to be fruitful. And I will still have had a hand in just a few geniuses over my career - more than enough to satisfy my sense of self-value.
Which is why it is always surprising to me to see some glimmer of that spark in my own offspring. James was talking in the car with Jeremy recently. We've been discussing different educational options for him lately, which has had him thinking more deliberately about his school choices than he has ever before had cause to do. In that context, he asked Jeremy what he would need to study to be able to build an idea he has had in his mind for a while. He described it then to Jeremy for the first time.
"I want to build a helicopter that can't crash. If the rotors lose power, then the speed of falling would make the rotors spin fast enough to provide lift and allow the copter to land softly and safely."
Sounds great to me. Would never have occurred to me. And I believe he just might do it someday. I find it is much easier to have faith in the potential of my children than in my own potential. So dream on, James!
House hunting
We have been looking at new houses. Well, technically, old houses, but new to us. We aren't seriously committed to buying, but we have been considering a small addition/remodel, and thought that in today's housing market, we should be really sure that we wouldn't rather move before we plunge into construction.
We have tried to mostly keep the kids not involved at this point, to avoid anxiety or confusion about a move. However, it is not always possible to schedule a showing without John, so he has seen a number of houses. Of course, it is confusing for him, at age 4. Each house we visit, he is excited about and wants to buy, but for completely preschooler-reasons. "Mom, let's buy this house. It's awesome! I like the pool table!"
Try as we might, we can't convince him that the furniture won't come with the house. Or that is not worth buying a house just because it has a hot tub on the deck - we could buy a hot tub for our current house for less than the cost of a move. (Although, I must confess, even I have a bit of trouble with that logic. I know we probably won't actually buy a hot tub, but if it came with a house anyway, that would be fun to have!) So, we try to settle for just convincing him that the things we see in a house walk-through do not belong to us and he can't take them with us when we go - like the toys. Had a few close calls on that one. And then, of course there is the other side of selling. After we tour a house, he might point to a neighboring house (with a cool playset in the yard) and ask to buy that one. Explaining to him that it is not for sale is difficult.
I suppose it must be very confusing to a young person, and yet, John often surprises me with his comprehension. He has obviously been stewing over this for a while. In the car the other day, he said, "Mom, I want to buy a new house. When can we?"
"Well, John, it isn't that simple. We might not ever do it. First we have to find a house that someone is selling, that we would want to buy."
There was a long silence, and I thought perhaps he was satisfied with my answer and had moved on. Instead, he replied, "Mom, buying a house is like waiting for a parking space to open up, isn't it? And sometimes you have to wait a long time." Score one for analogical thinking.
We have tried to mostly keep the kids not involved at this point, to avoid anxiety or confusion about a move. However, it is not always possible to schedule a showing without John, so he has seen a number of houses. Of course, it is confusing for him, at age 4. Each house we visit, he is excited about and wants to buy, but for completely preschooler-reasons. "Mom, let's buy this house. It's awesome! I like the pool table!"
Try as we might, we can't convince him that the furniture won't come with the house. Or that is not worth buying a house just because it has a hot tub on the deck - we could buy a hot tub for our current house for less than the cost of a move. (Although, I must confess, even I have a bit of trouble with that logic. I know we probably won't actually buy a hot tub, but if it came with a house anyway, that would be fun to have!) So, we try to settle for just convincing him that the things we see in a house walk-through do not belong to us and he can't take them with us when we go - like the toys. Had a few close calls on that one. And then, of course there is the other side of selling. After we tour a house, he might point to a neighboring house (with a cool playset in the yard) and ask to buy that one. Explaining to him that it is not for sale is difficult.
I suppose it must be very confusing to a young person, and yet, John often surprises me with his comprehension. He has obviously been stewing over this for a while. In the car the other day, he said, "Mom, I want to buy a new house. When can we?"
"Well, John, it isn't that simple. We might not ever do it. First we have to find a house that someone is selling, that we would want to buy."
There was a long silence, and I thought perhaps he was satisfied with my answer and had moved on. Instead, he replied, "Mom, buying a house is like waiting for a parking space to open up, isn't it? And sometimes you have to wait a long time." Score one for analogical thinking.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)