The call came at 11:58 a.m. Kid down. Fell on gym floor. Teeth bleeding.
Parents Save the Day program initiated. Daddy Pick Up activated. Detective Mommy launched.
Kid retrieved. Pediatrician called. Referral secured. Pediatric dentist consulted. Walk-in appointment scheduled. Kid examined. Injury discovered. Bad news delivered. Root damaged. Typically seen in boys. Cavities found.
Daddy disappointed. Mommy crushed.
Time: 2:31 p.m. Parents Save the Day program deactivated.
I can only hope my girls are as mature as this young man when they are 11.
My favorite question: “Can you dunk?”
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After the books have been read, the teeth brushed, the potty flushed, the prayers said, the kids tucked, and the foreheads kissed, I promise a ball descends from the ceiling fan and a party begins.
During the days of the bed and crib combination, Simone and Nadia fell asleep as soon as their heads hit the pillows. Now that we have two big-girl beds, Nadia has been experimenting with her newfound freedom. We have found her playing with her toys in the dark, singing to her sister, and wandering the house, giggling. Sometimes they fight their sleep for more than an hour. We hope this is just a phase and that it will quickly pass. If not, I will be forced to buy a new ceiling fan.
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Studies show all those baby videos may do more harm than good. University of Washington researchers Frederick Zimmerman and Dr. Dimitri Christakis found in 2007 that the more time babies spent watching videos they also learned six to eight fewer new words than babies who never watched them. Ouch!
Simone and Nadia didn’t watch much TV or videos before age 2, but we are now reevaluating just how much they watch. Why? Because they sometimes ignore us or delay doing something we’ve asked so that they can watch TV. That is not acceptable.
Sure, we have some of the videos in question, but I can’t remember the last time we played them. In fact, I’m pretty sure Nadia saw less of them than Simone because she has a big sister to help keep her entertained.
I don’t think all videos are bad, as long as they are used in moderation. We have purchased Meet The Sight Words 1 and 2 for Simone. She knows about 30 sight words, and we plan to purchase the Meet The Sight Words 3 video.
For her sake and mine, I hope no one releases a study in a few years saying such videos do more harm than good.
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I have to say the mahogany Crayon is a close match to the color of my skin. Ken is more of an apricot, while the girls have peach tones.
I stumbled upon Crayola’s Mutlicultural Crayons while conducting research for this blog. They come in skin tone hues so that children can create realistic pictures of their world. The colors are: black, sepia, peach, apricot, white, tan, mahogany, and burnt sienna.
I played with these Crayons, and they look realistic enough. They’re just Crayons. I drew the best people I could, and they looked like a multicultural bunch. For the girls, any Crayon is as good as the next. Simone made stick figures with them, while Nadia made swirls.
I am on the fence about whether such packaging is needed. I don’t remember having any trouble finding the right Crayons to color my family when I was a kid. My favorite box was the one with 64 Crayons. Besides, who says people have to be realistic colors? Why can’t they be blue, or purple, or orange? Simone can’t seem to pick one color for her projects. We’ve watched her give people, dogs and cats multiple colors. One day, she gave a dog pink and purple ears, a green tail, and a gray body. We told her she had done a good job.
I understand why teachers want Multicultural Crayons. They wouldn’t be on market if there weren’t some kind of demand. I say teachers because I couldn’t find them at any of my local discount stores and purchased my box at a teacher supply store. Crayons may help show students how they are different and how they are alike, and I’m willing to bet more than one kid has beamed when his teacher or classmates pointed out that he could use this or that hue to color his family. In the end, though, young children aren’t into precise meanings of color as much as adults, and I look forward to seeing how this issue plays out in our household.
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Every parent knows trouble is brewing when it gets quiet in the house.
I peeked in the living room and found Nadia playing with a toy and Simone flipping through a black women’s magazine.
About 30 minutes later, I noticed Simone had developed a tan on her left cheek.
“What is that?”
“Lipstick.”
I didn’t recognize that shade. Still, I checked my stash. I had visions of makeup all over the tile bathroom floor, complete with fingerprints and handprints. This time, though, everything was right where I had left it. Hmm.
During bath time, I noticed Simone had developed another tan, this time on her leg.
“Simone, where did you get that?”
“Out of the magazine.”
Ah, the magazine, the silence. Simone had pulled off the plastic tab for a sample of foundation and then “applied” it to her face and leg.
I should have known. If it is quiet, one or both of them is up to something.
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We have a loud home. Protests are constant.
“Nadia won’t be quiet.”
“Simone won’t share.”
The Supreme Court of Mommy settles several disputes a day.
For all the fussing back and forth, they really do love each other. Nadia had a low-grade fever and didn’t go to preschool the other day. Simone was not pleased about this development. She cried on the way to the car, all the way to preschool, and all the way to her room. I explained Nadia wasn’t feeling well.
“Why?” Simone wanted to know.
“She has a fever.”
“But I’m going to miss her.”
“I know. I know.”
