You also, if you are well-versed in babies and children, imagine crying and tantrums and refusing to eat and late nights walking the floor. Or at the very least, you do realize that these things happen and that they will ensure that your rosy visions at the start are tempered by reality. That all will not be sunshine and roses. You even probably realize that mothering will be one of the hardest, most exhausting jobs you've ever had, but that you will have moments of such great love that it will make it all seem worthwhile.
But never in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine this conversation:
Boy: Today, at snack, they told me not to put my fingers in my nose.
Me (in traffic, negotiating evening rush hour, and trying to parse what I just heard: Uhm, yeah, well, some people don't like that.
Boy: S (caregiver name) doesn't like that.
Me: yes, well, (getting a bit of a handle on this topic) some people think that that is rude, which is why you should ask S for a kleenex or tissue when your nose itches (ha ha nice euphemism mom) at daycare.
Boy (clearly confused): at home?
Me: Well, at home, you can ask for kleenex or a handkerchief as well. Or you can just use your fingers if you want to. But only at home. (Since, you know, I don't think I'm going to succeed in the "no nose picking at all rule" all at once. May as well define some parameters and start from there.)
Boy: at daycare ask for a tissue?
Me: Yep, that's right. Home is private, but in public, like daycare, ask for a tissue.
small pause for thinking
Boy: what about in the car?
Me: Uh ... (technically public but still kind of private) ... uh ....
Yeah, negotiating nose picking places? NOT SOMETHING I EVER PICTURED AS A MOTHER.
3 comments:
HAHAHAHAHA!!! :D
... and wait till you have to have the "we call them 'private parts' because you're only supposed to play with them in private" conversation ...
hee hee!!!!
E. is totally aware of the different rules at daycare and home -- he tells me he's going to use his fingers to eat his dinner, and then says "No use fingers at daycare. Only at home. Nicole [at daycare] no likes fingers. Makes her sad."
It's good to establish my own low expectations early... and let him know that in the real world, people are better mannered!
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