Honest to goodness, we really need some "life skills" around this place. Emperor and Elf are learning to clean the kitchen after breakfast. We have cereal for breakfast, so this is the easiest cleanup of the day, and one I can let slide a little until their skills improve. In other news, Emperor is learning not to run up and kiss other people's babies when we're out. For a while, the "ask first" thing worked a bit... but then he got older and even though he remembers to ask more frequently, folks get more skittish about it now. He's just under five feet tall and wears a men's size 8 in shoes, and most people don't like almost-grown people smooching on their babies, even if they are only eight years old and tell you their life story while they are doing it. I keep telling him "space bubble," and demonstrating an arm's length distance. Ok, at least he's not sniffing people and going "mum-mum-mum" on surprised strangers' arms with his mouth any more... but buddy, *please* don't pop everyone's space bubbles. After a very long afternoon shopping with him, I told D I was logging two hours of "social skills training" down because of all the hard work and practice that it entailed. "Yes," he said, "Please do."
17 January 2010
What We're Learning
Honest to goodness, we really need some "life skills" around this place. Emperor and Elf are learning to clean the kitchen after breakfast. We have cereal for breakfast, so this is the easiest cleanup of the day, and one I can let slide a little until their skills improve. In other news, Emperor is learning not to run up and kiss other people's babies when we're out. For a while, the "ask first" thing worked a bit... but then he got older and even though he remembers to ask more frequently, folks get more skittish about it now. He's just under five feet tall and wears a men's size 8 in shoes, and most people don't like almost-grown people smooching on their babies, even if they are only eight years old and tell you their life story while they are doing it. I keep telling him "space bubble," and demonstrating an arm's length distance. Ok, at least he's not sniffing people and going "mum-mum-mum" on surprised strangers' arms with his mouth any more... but buddy, *please* don't pop everyone's space bubbles. After a very long afternoon shopping with him, I told D I was logging two hours of "social skills training" down because of all the hard work and practice that it entailed. "Yes," he said, "Please do."
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Look Out, Dad!!
My father is the purple dot above the blue weather station. He's juuust outside Milton's evacuation zone. Well! My brother and I jus...
Good job on the dishes and learning about space bubbles! I know a great many adults who need to learn about space bubbles. Good work Mom!
ReplyDeleteYeah Space Bubbles !! I used something similair with my son the baby lover hehehe.
ReplyDeleteThose life skills just might make your work a little easier too.
I know I worked on them with my boys. I figured they would need them, since they were so hard headed, no woman would put up with them. ;-)
Very good with the space bubble. This wasn't one of Daniel's things (if anything he's too hands off), but I staffed a camp with a young man (older teen) with Asperger's who hugged people so much that he upset them. I learned quickly to put a hand out and say, "You've already hugged me today. It was great, but I'm full up." He'd beam and move on.
ReplyDeleteHousehold chores are an integral part of my kids' days beginning at around age five With the teenagers I'm merciless--they can clean the house as well as I can. I refused to raise another generation of men who thought household chores were women's work. Adore my husband I do, but this is what he came out of (we've had to do a lot of reprogramming--he is now a great cook and happy to push a broom, which frees me to do the yard work, which he hates). My standard statement is, "The fact that I was born a girl does not mean that I was automatically deemed slave labor. Nor does your being a man endow you with the right to make messes and expect others to pick them up." (I'm aware that there's a life lesson hidden that statement).
If you can get your 8 year old to load the dishwasher, he'll be ahead of my 41 year old. More power to you!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.amazon.co.uk/Against-Law-Kari-Dunn-Buron/dp/1931282358/ref=pd_sim_b_14
ReplyDeleteWe will be working with this books this year. I would reccommend it, but we haven't use it yet. It looks good.
And yes, we used to rehearse things at home too.
Love the picture!
ReplyDeletePopping space bubbles--what a wonderful mental picture you drew! Charlotte Mason would have loved it!
Great life skills to learn. We are doing those over hear too. I keep telling my kiddos I'm not always going to be here to clean up after you, and your wife or husband may not either if you decide to get married. I love the "Space bubbles" can I use that?
ReplyDeleteHey, good idea! I'm going to have to teach that to Chaz.
ReplyDeleteAlso, he always puts his mouth on his sibling and it drives them bananas.
Thx, Bonnie!
ReplyDeleteJana, you have so many lovey babies around that they've all learned baby-love skills. :)
Mary, I think we're feminists or something here, thinking we're not slave labour and stuff. LOL
Deb, he's even *excited* about this new power, being inducted into the *secrets* of cleaning the kitchen! Woo-hoo!
Thanks, Tammy!
NO, Rana! Space bubbles is copyrighted! Just kidding. I'm sure I stole it from somewhere else lol!
Virginia, it drives our other kids nuts here, too, but the toddlers think that's normal... so they're LEARNING THAT... arg.
I think Emperor is so darn cute! And he's a big boy like our Griffin.
ReplyDeleteRe: IEP for Griffin... I used to care for children with 'Special Needs' in school before I stopped to look after Brylee and Griffin. I am VERY used to IEP's too..but not as the mother. I still think I will be fine ... I am not worried about how to handle IEP's!
Yay! Go Chris! Griffin is very blessed to have you for his Mum!
ReplyDelete