Tuesday, February 23, 2010

5.75

As we sit firmly at "5 and thwee quaw-ters," I know we are zooming through the 'little kid' stage far too quickly.

I recently realized yet another parenting area in which I need to eat some crow. That is in the area of toilet flushing. I can vividly remember spending time with my niece a couple of years ago and wondering why on Earth my sister had not taught her to flush after she used the restroom. Isn't that a part of potty training?

Now I live in a home full of children who leave me surprises in the commode and it drives me crazy. It seems they are afraid the toilet might overflow because of an occurrence some time ago. (At least that is what they are telling me.) I think it is yet another opportunity for me to remember that there are all sorts of quirky things about kids and parenting you cannot even imagine until you are there.

Life at 5.75 is proving to be quite fun. We are finally big enough to go on lengthier big kid outings. I am enjoying their ability to keep themselves entertained for longer stretches of time. But a little glimpse of 'little kid' remains as they work through vocabulary issues.

Here are a few of my favorite mistakes, many of which occur on a regular basis:
When you said that it remembered me of something. (R)

Mom, I need to tell you a question. (R)

That sound is ignoring me. (K)

Mama, will you play that song again...the one that falls me asleep. (K)

Look at that nedal he got from the Olympics. (K)

Can I have some whup cream on top? (R)

I want to make a craft. Where is the instruction paper? (K)

As I made this list, I realized R&K are the chief offenders. P, my avid reader, seems to have a firmer grasp on vocabulary. Math, however, is another story. He is entering the stage where he is very interested in how high you can count. He just cannot understand why I won't count to a million for him. As I tried to explain that it would take a very long time he replied.
"Well, at school during naptime, I counted to 3 million in my mind."
As I raised my eyebrows he added,"..for real."
My eyebrows remained raised until he concluded with, "I mean, I skipped a few numbers."

You gotta love 5 3/4!

9 comments:

FilledToTheBrim - Kate said...

Our oldest will be 6 in June, it is such funny age. I was laughing at " I mean, I skipped a few numbers...", that is too cute, and sounds like something my Ella would say!

laurie said...

Kelly and I have decided that we are going to charge Molly for the flushing the potty issue. $1 per prize we discover, she'll be broke soon and hopefully will remember--it's so gross!!!

Just me said...

My Aidan is about the same age, and he LOVES to flush the toilet... It is great, until it is about 6:15, and I am trying to get that last few minutes of sleep, and he creeps out of this room, goes to the bathroom, and FLUSH! No matter how I tell him he is exempt from flushing first thing in the morning, it is like he is on autopilot and can't be corrected. What a precious age! =)

Marva said...

The boys use to love to flush the potty.......but now, oh goodness! There is no telling what i might find in there! LOL

They both say they want to tell me a question. Precious!!!

Blessings!!!

JenB said...

My 9 yr old still has trouble remembering to flush!! We started having her donate a quarter to our change jar each time she didn't and it's helping. (We'll donate the money or use it for mission trip.)

Jennifer said...

My eldest son is 5 as well, and while he flushes just fine, I am having a difficult time getting him to lift up the toilet seat. He doesn't understand how gross it is to sit on a wet toilet! The other thing that is funny with him is that he always says, when ever he sees a lawnmower, is: "Mama, look! It's a mow-launder!" He is hilarious!

Jennifer D

Anonymous said...

LOVE IT! We're at 5 and whatever 11 months is i fractions...that's too much math for me! Holy cow, how did it happen so fast!? I love that my nearly-6 year old who correctly used the word "decidedly" in a sentence the other day also asks for "ornage" juice on a regular basis. I love that she brushes her own teeth and hair and can put on shoes and socks correctly without supervision. It's a relief to not have to do it all for her, and yet I miss that sweet, chubby little girl who needed my help for those things!

S said...

I'm sure if P put his mind to it, he COULD count to 3 million...and then be sure to tell you about it, number by number! LOL! I miss that guy!

Amy said...

This was a great post. I too have little presents left for me in the potty too. I love the cute vocab excerpts of your children.
amy@balmingilead.typepad.com