Random musings

(How many times has that been used in the blogging world as a title? It's so worn out, and yet- here it shows up again.)

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Today, I truly felt like "Simon Says" (the well known playground game to torture children everywhere) was originally invented to teach kids to LISTEN.

It's been rough 'round these parts lately, getting Emerson & Atticus to listen to what I'm telling them and then to obey.

(Before I continue, yes, I totally recognize the irony in the same exact patterns that show up in my relationship with God.)

Anyways, I keep telling them and telling them and then end up yelling at them ridiculous things over and over. I know I'm sick and tired of hearing, "Pick up the blocks. Pick up the blocks. Pick up the blocks. PICK UP THE BLOCKS."

Surely they must be tired of hearing it.

Oh yeah, they are. Em told me today, "Moooooom! Stop talking to me! I AM!!" (as she scoots along the floor.)

It's been trying, to say the least. I really do feel at my wit's end, a lot of times.

I've been reflecting on how things seemed so *together* for me when I was teaching preschoolers at a prep school. I had 3 year olds, and my little class ran really well. We had routines, structure, clear consequences for actions, and most days I really loved what I did.

How is it that parenting is so drastically different?

I have started implementing a little role-play with Em to practice obeying. Whenever I can tell I'm starting to lose it ("it" being my complete grip on sanity), I tell Em "Let's practice obeying."

Then we proceed to go through a series of instructions where she "practices obeying." I don't know why in the heck it seems to work that way, and not when I'm saying, "Hey, pick up the freaking blocks," but somehow it does.

Since my kids are the silliest in the world, our practice session today quickly unraveled to a full-blown game of Simon Says (except I was just saying "Mommy says"). We did jumping, flapping our wings, turning around, etc. etc.

Em wanted me to tell them to be horses, so they got down on their hands and knees and were the most agressive horses I've ever seen, screaming "NEEEEEEEIGH! NEIGH!"

Same with Lambs, and Dinosaurs.

At that point, they were so wound up that, as I'm trying to think of another command, I'm saying "Okay, this time you be....." (and I'm dragging out the word "be"), Emerson starts running around the room, going, "Be! Be! Be! BE!"

Yes, such a productive and instructive activity.

And that, my friends, is a peek into my life today. I commend you if you actually read through all of that. Tune in later today or tomorrow for some fun stuff from the August Scripts kit.