A RealFamilies RealFun Blog

Sep 2 2008

The power of books

Category: Kids & Growing Up

My parents were sneaky but very smart. They used to leave sex education books, Planned Parenthood pamphlets, and a copy of "Our Bodies, Ourselves" around the house hoping that my sister and I would pick them up on our own. Well, we did find them and learned the basics of puberty, body changes, and sexual health before our parents had "The Talk" with us.

I liked that the books were always there to answer our questions, since I was too shy to ask my parents about sex stuff. So I'm starting a collection of my own sex ed books -- everything from books for teens to how to explain how babies are born for younger children. My kids are a little young for these books, but it's always good to be prepared.

Somehow I didn't think potty training manuals fit into this category. But it's amazing how instructional and influential they've been on Lucie. One evening she picked up the "how to potty train your kid in one day" book that's been sitting on my night stand for over a month. She spent a good deal of time looking at the illustrations. She was so intrigued that I got out the "big girls use the potty" book that I had planned to give her when we started training later this summer. We read through it three times before bedtime.

The next day we went about our usual routine. After coming home from an outing, she was still dry. Then she asked to use the potty. She successfully went, and then went again. Then she proceeded to use every toilet, both big and small, in the house the rest of the afternoon and evening.

While she's had a few accidents since then, she's managed to get the basics down. I'm glad the books have been so inspirational. Maybe I'll leave a few "how to clean your room, not spill food on the floor, and make your mom happy" books next.

 

Sep 1 2008

Imagination

Category: Kids & Growing Up

Lucie likes to pretend she's Angelina Ballerina, the ballet dancing mouse. This involves costume changes -- thanks to Uncle Mark who gave her an Angelina Ballerina costume for her birthday -- and lots of leaping around trying to pirouette while I clap and yell, "Bravo!" in a Russian voice like Miss Lilly,, the ballet teacher on the Angelina Ballerina cartoon.

Sometimes she likes to pretend she's Nathan and wear his baseball cap or t-shirt. This game is well known at our local post office. We'll walk in and the postmaster will ask her, "Who's this? Are you Lucie or Nathan today?" Sometimes he'll just greet her with a big, "Hello Nathan!" Lucie will give him a dirty look and tell him, "Hmmph. I'm not Nathan, I'm Lucie!

The other day at the grocery store, she kept telling me I was Paul. She'd say, "Hi Daddy! What are you doing Daddy?"

I replied, "I'm not Daddy."

"But why?" she asked.

"Because I'm not big and stinky like your dad," I replied.

 

Aug 29 2008

Are you an aunt or an uncle?

Category: Family Fun

Having family spread out around the globe, we've created an extended family of friends. We have an Uncle Pete, Uncle Jimmy, Uncle Kurt, and Aunt Karen. We even have an Uncle Sheila. 

Uncle Sheila is married to Uncle Jimmy. Before you start thinking "alternative family," Sheila is a woman and Jimmy is a man. It is Nathan's doing that Sheila goes by that moniker.

When Nathan was two, Paul took him camping with Jimmy, Sheila and their two girls. Used to calling Jimmy "uncle" -- and not realizing there was a feminine version of the title -- he called Sheila "Uncle Sheila" and the name stuck.

Even today, I'm not allowed to call her aunt. She's always Uncle Sheila to us.