Pickle the Octopus
Oh, the woes of an almost-four-year-old. Oh, you're not familiar? Well, you melt down if you don't get "apple jush RIGHT NOW", or your mom can't understand your whining voice, or if you don't want to brush your snaggle-teeth. It's really fun for this mom, you know...since my patience level is so high. I'd like to assume that if we weren't on a tight schedule every morning, that these things wouldn't be so dramatic...but I know that's not true. These kids are also brutally honest and awesome tattle-tales at this age...
So...Pickle has a classmate named Axel. Pretty sure Axel is going to rule the universe someday...he met with Mayor Berkowitz one day to talk about potholes (or something...that's the story I got) and came back to class with Municipality of Anchorage badges for all of his classmates. Pretty rad. He likes to call Pickle "spicy" - and he LOVES to tell us mommies that we look like we "have babies in our bellies". Um, yeah...we ignore that. Anyway, Axel busted Pickle out yesterday as I was picking her up..."Pickle had to sit in the chair during circle time!"
I looked pointedly at Pickle and she's suddenly interested in some imaginary monster down the hall. I can visualize how this is happening, because she's a) spoiled and b) a wiggle-wort. I asked the teacher and she basically refers to Pickle as an "octopus"...you know that kid, the one that can't sit still, wiggles about, and rolls around the floor like an eight-armed sea monster. Yeah, that's my kid. I remember my grandma telling me that I was a "hot fart on a skillet"...so probably similar situation here.
On the car ride home, we chatted about the "octopus" situation during circle time, and how that won't work. You know...the "we go to school to learn, so we can succeed in life"...kinda like we go to work. Our twenty minute ride included lots o' encouragement - then she told me that she doesn't want to do work. "Dude, tough...this is how life works. I guess we'll have to talk with Daddy when we get home." No shit, she burst into tears and cried, "NO, he will be so angry with me!" Holy-big-feelings...
Before I left for work this morning, I asked her what our goals for the day were. She let me know that she was going to work on listening, paying attention to teacher, and sitting still during circle time. I really look forward to pick-up time today. If the teacher doesn't want to fill me in, I'm sure Axel will help me out. I might just start paying him to be an informant.
So...Pickle has a classmate named Axel. Pretty sure Axel is going to rule the universe someday...he met with Mayor Berkowitz one day to talk about potholes (or something...that's the story I got) and came back to class with Municipality of Anchorage badges for all of his classmates. Pretty rad. He likes to call Pickle "spicy" - and he LOVES to tell us mommies that we look like we "have babies in our bellies". Um, yeah...we ignore that. Anyway, Axel busted Pickle out yesterday as I was picking her up..."Pickle had to sit in the chair during circle time!"
I looked pointedly at Pickle and she's suddenly interested in some imaginary monster down the hall. I can visualize how this is happening, because she's a) spoiled and b) a wiggle-wort. I asked the teacher and she basically refers to Pickle as an "octopus"...you know that kid, the one that can't sit still, wiggles about, and rolls around the floor like an eight-armed sea monster. Yeah, that's my kid. I remember my grandma telling me that I was a "hot fart on a skillet"...so probably similar situation here.
On the car ride home, we chatted about the "octopus" situation during circle time, and how that won't work. You know...the "we go to school to learn, so we can succeed in life"...kinda like we go to work. Our twenty minute ride included lots o' encouragement - then she told me that she doesn't want to do work. "Dude, tough...this is how life works. I guess we'll have to talk with Daddy when we get home." No shit, she burst into tears and cried, "NO, he will be so angry with me!" Holy-big-feelings...Before I left for work this morning, I asked her what our goals for the day were. She let me know that she was going to work on listening, paying attention to teacher, and sitting still during circle time. I really look forward to pick-up time today. If the teacher doesn't want to fill me in, I'm sure Axel will help me out. I might just start paying him to be an informant.
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