Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Lessons Learned

By Kelly

To parent successfully, one must be both teacher and student.

Here is what I’ve learned from my children this past week. Note: This is an abridged version.

Dialing 911 even in the middle of sequence still calls 911.

Guess which 16-month-old doesn’t get to play with the phone anymore?

Personal aside to the weary but kind 911 operator who called me back two separate times to make sure I was really OK: Bless you. And yes, I'd tell you if something was wrong.

I have boogers hidden all over my house.

This lesson comes courtesy of my seven-year-old daughter, who recently picked up (ahem) the habit of picking her nose. When I asked her how she might cope with a successful digging expedition, she replied with startling nonchalance, “Oh, if I get boogers, I just hide them somewhere you can’t find them. I’ve got boogers hidden all over the house.”

Good to know.

Blueberries make a great snack for toddlers.

I never tried them out on my older two kids, thinking their little palates wouldn’t approve. But Teyla eats them like they are candy.

Blueberries make for some dark diapers.


Black as the blackest midnight on a stormy night.

It’s possible to be full of dinner yet still have room for dessert.


This is a lesson I should have learned when I was a child, seeing as I used it on my parents all the time. I clearly remember picturing my stomach as a large bag with pockets lining the inside; each pocket was labeled with the food it was designed to contain. Thus, I could be full of chicken but not full of ice cream.

Apparently, I passed on that freaky stomach to my children.

I am more refreshed after my children nap than after I nap.


My 16-month-old took a three-hour nap today. I cleaned my whole house, started the laundry, watered the plants and sewed up a hole in one of Natalie’s stuffed horses. Apparently, the Nap Fairy also carries some mini-Martha Stewart dust in her pouch.

Whole milk + sippy cup + day at the beach = sippy cup in the garbage.


Memorial Day indeed. The smell alone will ensure it stays with me forever.

Luke Skywalker has a brother.


My five-year-old son insists this is true. Also? Indiana Jones is his father.

Harrison Ford gets around, apparently.

What did you learn this week?

You can find more life lessons about boogers and the familal lines of Lego minifigures at Kelly's personal blog, Love Well.

10 comments:

  1. Love it! They are creative, aren't they?!
    From my Little Miss I learned this week that although friends of ours - Zoe and Christine, are Jon's sisters, they are not (for reasons that remain unclear) each OTHER's sisters. Hmph. I have lots to learn yet, obviously!

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  2. Wow - quite edified, aren't we?! I'm so glad I haven't learned some of these lessons yet! I do know I must be a queen, since my babe is a Disney princess.

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  3. I wonder what my son will come up with when he starts talking :) for now I will enjoy your posts and enjoy my just smiling boy

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  4. I learned this from my son at Target:
    He proudly yells for anyone to hear, "I Love Batman!"

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  5. "Harrison Ford gets around" Ha!
    We do learn oodles from our kids, don't we? What scares me is what they learn from us. Today the kids were playing with the lone baby doll in the house, and for whatever reason, ALL of the imaginative play involved bodily issues: (a) the baby pooping, (b) the baby needing to try to use the potty, (c) the baby having a boogie or (d) the baby throwing up. Hearing my 4 yo ask, "Do you need to throw up, baby? Is your tummy upset?" was simultaneously heartwarming and disturbing. :-)

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  6. This isn't nearly as funny as yours, but today I learned that playing a variation of Cash Cab as we walk to the grocery store is a great way to inspire enthusiasm for errands. During the game, I learned from my five year old that our national anthem is called "The Star Speckled Banner."

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  7. I have that kind of stomach, too :)! I didn't know the first one...definitely something to keep in mind since I have one who loves to sneak and play with my phone.

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  8. Wow that was funny! Good to know about 911. Glad she was kind.

    Blueberry poop - been there, done that.

    My kids have that stomach - so does my husband.

    I learned some time ago that sometimes the best way to rest from my to do list was to actually do it. Sounds like you had a good day for that!

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  9. Round here if you call 911 and accidently hang up they send police to your door. They have to come. No matter how much you assure the dispatcher that you are indeed fine.
    There are no words to describe the embarrassment.
    Hidden boogies. Lucky you!
    My kids adored blueberries from the time they were very little. I used cloth diapers. It wasn't pretty.

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  10. The first time we had blueberries I almost died at how BLACK THE POOP was.
    And that booger comment. Classic. Good stuff!

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