A Day With My Kids

As I was driving the kids home from the library yesterday, I wondered if it would be entertaining to anyone to know some of my daily interactions with them. Here are a few from yesterday:

I was teaching #1 a piano lesson in the morning. She had reminded me that it was her lesson day, and I think she wanted to play everything perfectly. We came to a song that has been really frustrating for her, and it was far from perfect. She has the right hand figured out, but can't get it to work with the left hand. She was in tears four measures into the piece. It reminded me of my own frustration as a piano student. I probably cried at a lesson or two back then too. It also made me realize how important extra-curricular lessons and activities are in teaching us to overcome obstacles. I'm sure similar moments of frustration are to be had in dance, sports, debate, choir, etc. Back to her lesson... I wouldn't let her leave until she had played--slowly--through the whole song. Then we shared a high five! I hope she feels more confident to conquer this piece now.

While I was teaching a second lesson to my friend's daughter, #4 popped in the doorway wearing only her underpants to show me her new cool trick. She rippled her belly. All I could do was laugh! She grinned, then waved--with her hand and her belly--and walked away. She'll make a good belly dancer someday!



Coming home from the library, I heard #5 pipe up from behind me, "Mom! I saw a woo woo uh meh-hi-go." Want to make a guess on the translation? Fortunately, I already knew that "woo woo" means anything with a siren. It's an easy way to sum up firetruck, ambulance, and police car. So I said, "You saw a siren in Mexico?" (I know it doesn't make sense, but it was my best guess.) "No. I saw a woo woo meh-hi-go." Then I remembered that we had just passed a policeman writing out a traffic ticket--and a motorcycle with its lights flashing was parked behind them. Translation achieved!

#3 spent most of the afternoon laying around in her bedroom when she should have been cleaning it. I opened the door to toss in some clothes that had been left in the hallway, only to discover #4 in there strapping on a bike helmet. So I shut the door. Then I used my brain. Why was she wearing a helmet in her room? At the window? So I went back in and found #3 letting herself down from the window sill. She had pushed out the screen and escaped. She said she had to use the bathroom. Really? Does getting a bedroom cleaned have to be so difficult?! Note: It's still not clean. We're returning to that battle in about 81 minutes.

#2 picked out the "Nancy Drew" DVD at the library and somehow got the idea that we were watching it before the day was over. So when I came home (after her bedtime) from Enrichment, she asked if we could still watch it. I thought about (by contrast) what a good kid she had been all day, and agreed. So we cuddled up on the couch, each with a bowl of ice cream, and watched the movie. Summer bedtimes are great!

One more from #5. While we were watching the movie, #5 left his bed to use the toilet. After doing so, he wandered into the family room and announced, "I shoot like Dad!" Great. Looks like I'll be scrubbing the bathroom floor today.