Playground Etiquette

Mood: blasé

Listening to: Classic Rock on TV

I took my daughters to a park yesterday. My elder daughter ran off to climb and my younger one got set in the grass to play. All of a sudden, my older daughter came running up to me, crying, with blood streaming from her nose to her chin. At first, I thought she fell and knocked out some teeth, but it turned out she was hit in the nose by a stray Frisbee. I looked for a tissue to stop the bleeding and then looked around for the person who did it or a parent to at least see if she was ok. Nothing. No one but a great older grandpa offering me some wipes. His grandkids still needed to be carried around, so I was pretty sure it wasn’t related to him at all. Thank you so much by the way super grandpa! I later learned that the boy who threw the Frisbee had apologized to my daughter, but it was still the weirdest thing. Any time your kid runs up to you with a bloody face, it’s very upsetting, especially if someone else was involved, but is nowhere to be seen. Isn’t this basic playground etiquette? If your child hurts someone, even accidentally, don’t you at least tell the other parent something happened? Offer your best apologies and make sure the other child is ok? Perhaps they were afraid I would go nuts. After all, some parents are a little crazy these days, especially when a bloody face is involved. Still. They had to see the blood running down her face. That would at least appear a little serious. It’s not just running into another child.

I just think it sets a good example when parents show their child how to react when someone gets hurt, even if it was just an accident. Not all parents are psychos. Kids get hurt and it was an accident. I may not have been quite as understanding if the boy had punched her, but it was definitely an accident. If this happens to your child, make sure you set a good example. Find the other parent and explain what happened. Even if they do fly off the hook, and lots do when their child gets hurt, you will still be teaching your child to take responsibility for his or her actions, even if they accidentally hurt someone else.

Becky

Too Much Touch

Listening to: Clean House
Mood: Tired

Psst. Psst. Over Here. Behind the couch. Shhhhh!! We have to be quiet or they’ll find me. My kids. They’ve sent out a search party already. I’m sure every mom has had moments like the one I’m having right now. Anyone who hasn’t either isn’t spending enough time with their kid(s) or she is lying. My children have decided on a double team attack strategy to make me crazy by never, ever letting me be by myself. Did I mention ever? I really feel bad for my husband, who is decently saran wrap-ish himself, because by the time he comes home, I have built a 3 foot steel bubble around myself. The children will still insist on throwing themselves at it and bouncing off, but by that time, I absolutely need some space. My youngest child was born a Velcro wannabe and her arrival has caused a jealous streak to arise within her elder sister who then decided that being away from me (read not touching me) might mean that I will run away to the circus and never love or think of her again. Now this is ridiculous, but I never could tell that girl anything.

My poor husband just can’t imagine why, at the end of the day, that I don’t want anything to do with anyone overly needy or under 20. It has nothing to do with him at all, but finding one more person telling me plaintively that he’s hungry just irritates me to no end. Especially when that person is 33 with perfectly functional arms and legs. I know this is a pretty common problem for wives, but it just drives me nuts to have another immature person adding to the chaos instead of helping me manage it, like an adult.

Becky

Paging the Common Sense Fairy!

Listening to: Goofy Movie
Mood: Content

So I’m having one of those quirky moments in the universe where I have some time to sit and write while both my kids are awake, but quiet and occupied.

I was on the phone with my mom the other day when I walked next to my TV. I noticed that there were a lot of little white dots all over my TV stand and TV. As I explored, I discovered the salt shaker next to the TV. I asked my eldest daughter why I found salt all over the television. Of course she had no idea why. *Sigh* I thought we had conquered the obsession with the salt shaker and shaking salt all over, but at 4.5, my daughter does not possess enough concentration to remember that salt is for food.

Another example of this happened last weekend. We were visiting my sister in law and her family up in Connecticut. My daughter and her younger cousin were playing in the adult’s bedroom. My sister in law had left the iron on the floor and it was on. My daughter ended up grabbing it. On purpose. When I asked her why she grabbed the iron, she replied that she was curious. Now, we have an iron at home. We have had many, many chats as to how the iron is super hot and how she should never touch it. I felt terrible because she burned her hand, but absolutely amazed at how curiosity could circumvent both knowledge and the survival instinct.

It simply does not occur to my diva girl that just because she hid her milk cup and can’t find it, again, that the universe has not swallowed it up, along with all the rest of the milk in the world. So she panics. Sometimes it’s fun living with a ditzy diva. Life is never boring, she has a fantastic imagination, she cares a lot for others. On the other hand, it’s exhausting to have to think for her most of the time.

Becky