Today Alethea and I had a fun, but busy, morning. In order to stay on track, I employed a series of Mommy Tricks. Here’s how it went:
TRICK #1: SUCKER AT THE POLLS
No, I wasn’t the sucker, I gave Alethea a dum-dum sucker so that I could vote. Turns out that a small sucker buys me just enough time to do my civic duty. (It also turns out that being dressed in pink from head to toe isn’t enough to keep Alethea from being called a ‘little fellow’, but that’s a post for another day.)
After we voted we headed to the park. As it happens, there were some lovely children there before we arrived who decided to coat the slides with mud. Not just one slide… all of the slides in the park (what makes mischievous children so thorough?) If I’d been a more experienced mom, I might have been ready to use TRICK #2: PULL OUT THE OLD TOWEL, you know the handy rag-like towel that the prepared mother keeps in the car at all times for emergency situations like slide cleaning, but alas, I had no towel, so I resorted to…
TRICK #3: DISTRACTION BY SUBSTITUTION
Alethea said, “Slide! Slide!” And I said, “Alethea, look, the swings are right over there!” The swings were an acceptable distraction.
After Alethea got board with the swing, there wasn’t much left to do, so I asked Alethea if she was ready to go home. She wasn’t. I resorted to…
TRICK #4: LEAD A HORSE TO WATER
I thought maybe we could get to the car by baby steps. “Look at those bikes on the bike rack over there, Alethea!” (Alethea goes to examine the bikes = we move closer to the car.) “Look at that tall tree, Alethea!” (We move still closer.) A big truck goes by on the road and Alethea voluntarily walks a few more steps. Suddenly she stops, points and says, “Car.” In my most positive voice I said, “You’re right, Alethea, that’s our car!”
She looks at me, looks at the car, looks at me, then realization floods over her face and she yells, “Nooooo!” turns and runs in the other direction.
So much for trick #4.
At that point I was down to…
TRICK #5: WHEN ALL ELSE FAILS
Chase your kid down, pick them up, put them in the car (even if screaming), go home. Not really my best Mommy Trick, but sometimes it’s what it takes.
I love the swing picture! Her eyes are such a brilliant blue! She’s beautiful!
Thanks Jenny! I think so too!
I like the tricks :) Good ideas, even if they didn’t all pan out. Sounds like you had a good day!
The other day at the park, I let Alethea pick up two of the larger wood chips as we walked toward the stroller. She dropped one before getting in the stroller, but kept the other in her hand all the way home. My plan was to take it and put it in the yard waste bin when we arrived home. However, her kind Daddy asked if he should put it with her rock collection. That was the easiest exit I have had from the park with Alethea.
That reminds me……. There was another child at the park – a girl probably 2 – 2 1/2 years old. She was looking at Alethea and saying “dobo baby”. Her dad translated – she thought Alethea was an adorable baby. (And she is!)
Hmmm… I wondered where the giant wood chip in my kitchen had come from. Somehow it didn’t stay outside with the rock collection. :-) Mystery solved! I’ll have to keep the wood chip trick in mind for our next park visit.
I certainly won’t argue with anyone who calls Alethea adorable, because I think she is too!