Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Proud parenting moments

Maggie pitched a giant fit when I picked her up from the babysitter’s yesterday. After I wrestled her into her carseat, then forced her out of her carseat at home, she proceeded to hit me, kick me and even tried to bite me. I laughed, which made her angrier. I carried her up to her room and closed her door. After she had calmed down a bit I held her and talked to her about her tantrum. We both felt there should be a punishment for the hitting and screaming. We agreed that the punishment would be… pants. Today she wasn’t allowed to wear a skirt or a dress to school; she had to wear pants. The horror.

Lisa has one kid in her class (“Joe”) that is wicked smart. Lisa does really well too, but just accepts that Joe will do better. She got a test back where she got 88% - the second best mark in the class. Joe got 94%. I told Lisa about how, when I was a kid, there was a boy in my class (“RJ”) who was just like Joe. I made it my mission to do as well as or better than RJ; that competitive spirit made me work harder and get better grades. Lisa’s response? “Not everything’s a competition, mom”. “Sure it is,” I replied. As I kissed her goodbye this morning, I whispered in her ear, “Beat Joe!”

The kids are always asking to help me bake, but when I do let them help they’re often dissatisfied with the tasks I assign to them. So, for the past three weeks I’ve been giving them baking lessons. During the lesson, they put on their aprons and make a simple recipe themselves from start to finish. Along the way, I’ve been teaching them about measuring tools, the science of leavening agents and some basics of food safety. I’m having so much fun coming up with new lessons and the kids are loving their Thursday night sessions.

Bart is picking up some great language at school. He’s always been fond of saying words like ‘fart’ and ‘crap’, but now has put ‘shut-up’ and ‘stupid’ into regular rotation. I am constantly asking him to not to use those words and have shortened my plea to “LANGUAGE!” Maggie has decided to help me reform the boy and shouts “ENGLISH!” when he utters one of his choice words. I have to say, it’s adorable coming from her wee mouth.

13 comments:

Not Your Aunt B said...

Go, Lisa, Go! Beat Joe!
I can't wait to start cooking/baking lessons. They help me now a little (very little as they are still tiny), but I can't wait to cook with them. Fun!
Fart and farting noises are big around here. I am hoping if I ignore it they will go away...

Fiona Picklebottom said...

Eddie was my Joe. I guess we all have one. :)

Christina Schmidt said...

Well hello!

Love that you are doing the cooking/baking lessons with the kids. Our son is interested in baking/cooking as well and like wise is dissastified with the tasks we give him. Yesterday, I told him that cooking is like science. He beamed. I was thinking of Alton Brown when I said this!

ENGLISH. Heh, smart girl :)

Chantal said...

I love the idea of the baking lessons. I should really do that. I want my boys to be proficient in the kitchen. I had to teach my husband how to read a recipe and how to measure. His mother NEVER let him do any cooking or baking. She also never let him clean the toilet or wash a window... He has been, still is, a work in progress :)

Jess said...

I'd be proud, too!

When I was a camp counselor and I had a bunch of 16-year-olds with potty mouths to deal with, I was technically supposed to punish them for swearing. But instead if they swore I would look at them and say, "What?" It would usually take a minute but then they would get it and repeat what they had said with a different, more appropriate word. Only if they opted not to do that would I then punish them. It worked quite well.

Pickles and Dimes said...

"ENGLISH!" Hee!

Bette Creek said...

PANTS!?!?!? You are a mean mom!:-)

artemisia said...

"ENGLISH!" Oh, boy, I am STILL laughing at that one! Too cute!

Those baking lessons sound wonderful. Oh, ALL of you are going to have great, great memories from these evenings.

Amreen said...

i love this post. i'm totally inspired by your baking lessons - going to definitely try that one.

Nowheymama said...

Maggie cracks me up.

Mighty Morphin' Mama said...

Ooh, I had a boy like that too! We were in constant competition, and he always edged me out...

Sounds like the kids are doing well, your baking lessons sound awesome, what a terrific idea.

Maggie is a cutie!

Beck said...

I was not an academically competitive kid - neither was my husband - so we're kind of fumbling around in the dark, trying to figure out who to motivate our kids to, you know, not be like us.

My Baby LOVES to crack eggs when I'm baking. We go through a lot of eggs. Worth it.

A said...

I just found your blog yesterday and I've now spent the past two days reading every.single.post you've ever written. I love it! Love your style, your kids, your stories. Keep up the great work, I'll be watching for your next post!