Scene One
This morning, we were in a rush to get out the door, as is usual on mornings when we have anywhere to go. Of course, Sophie decided to fill her diaper with a big juicy load right before we had to leave, and I am so grateful that she’s finally pooping regularly and without major trauma again that I can’t complain. In the five minutes while we were upstairs changing both her diaper and her outfit, Julie managed to get herself in a little trouble.
Julie knows that she is not allowed to play with my shoes. She likes to walk around in them sometimes, and that scares the crap out of me because I’m afraid she’s going to trip and hurt herself. That wasn’t the problem this morning. She’s been tying knots in all kinds of string-type things lately – she figured out how to do it, and the new skill hasn’t gotten old yet. She’s constantly tying things to each other and to various objects. It’s frustrating because I either have to cut the string or spend a lot more time untying the knots than she spent tying them.
In this case, she came walking into the kitchen holding my tennis shoes, tied to each other with a wad of knots. Just as I was trying to get us out the door along with all the various crap we needed to take, only about 20 minutes later than we should have left in the first place. I’m not proud of it, but I started to blow up. I started to speak loudly at her “Julie, you know you’re not supposed to play with my shoes and I’m tired of you putting knots in every string you get your hands on. I’m really angry right now.” and then something clicked…”What you need is something that it’s okay for you to tie knots in.”
I spent another five minutes grabbing some card stock and punching holes in it, then digging some yarn out of the stash to go with it. Instant lacing cards, and they’re disposable, so unlike the very nice plastic ones that we bought her for Christmas, if she ties it up beyond repair I don’t have to care. It was a brief moment of parenting enlightenment. I try to be a good mom, but it doesn’t always come intuitively for me, so when a good idea strikes I have to celebrate it.
Scene Two
Here are the girls sitting down for their afternoon ration of TV exposure. Little Sophie gets very excited when she sees Big Bird and Elmo. Yes, it’s scary.
Sophie didn’t sit in front of the TV for long. She was tired and crabby after a day out with friends and then running errands. We came into the office so she could nurse while I caught up on blog reading, and then suddenly I heard Julie cry out and turn off the TV. She was obviously scared by something, and disturbed by it enough that she didn’t want to watch her Sesame Street Big Bird’s Story Time DVD any more. It took me a couple of minutes to get it out of her, but apparently Humpty Dumpty’s accident was a little too graphic for her sensibilities.
The DVD is a collection of fairy tales and nursery rhymes acted out by the Sesame Street crew, and I wasn’t watching the section in question, but apparently it involved Kermit the Frog, and apparently Humpty was hurt pretty badly. We processed it over and over through dinner time and on into story time before bed. I won’t be surprised if we talk about it all day tomorrow as well, and I sure as hell won’t be showing her *that* DVD again any time soon.
New Project
The Yarnery just got a new shipment of Claudia Handpaint in this week, and it is beautiful stuff. Because they’re not going to carry the Koigu any more, I offered to knit a shop sample of my slip-stitch baby hat in the Claudia, and my boss took me up on the offer. Our errand this afternoon was over to the store where I oogled the new wall of yarn and eventually picked out these two lovelies:
This is gorgeous stuff. It’s very similar to the Koigu, with about the same yardage and a slightly lower price. I started the hat tonight, and this time I’m making one in an adult size. Several people have asked for a bigger size, and I’ve just been waiting for a little motivational push to get around to writing it up. I’m hoping to have the new sample hat and the adult sized pattern in the store by early next week. Poor blankie is getting pushed aside yet again – but just for a few days.
I know that your first inclination is to not let her see that video again, but I would recomend after taking about it, you two watch the episode together. Sometimes facing the image can help dispel the intense feelings/reaction to the scene.
What colorway is that orangey one? I want to have my boss order it, it’s so pretty!
Great idea, making your own lacing card! Brilliant!
I had the slip stitch baby hat pattern shipped to me, I’m just waiting to get a few other projects off the needles before I start one.
It’s a fact that thirty-plus years ago when Sesame Street first came on the air, it was banned in Canada. Smash your cookies into your mouth, demand your own way, act grumpy and crabby and sloppy. While we adults see muppets acting funny, a little child interprets it entirely different. I certainly see the Canadian’s point! Of course everything has changed (attitudes) over the years and the show runs there now. But all those years ago, no. Children haren’t really changed. Aggression is aggression. Rude is rude. Why do we plunk ‘em down in front of a screen and then get surprised when they are negatively affected? Still a mystery to me! (I raised my kids w/o S. Sreet) Surprise. Adreana