Thursday, March 06, 2008

Pop-ups and Private Talks

We pulled out our Easter stuff today. Forget the egg hunts, this year the boys are spending all their time with the silly pop up rabbit! I love when they entertain each other like this!


Last night, Miss J asked if she could talk to me in her room privately. There is no better way to get a Mom's immediate attention. There she got all shy, and wasn't sure she wanted to tell me. I assured her she could tell me anything, and sat in anticipation with a calm smile pasted on my face. She told me she had gone to her teacher and told her that her Mom (ME!) had called her a bad name before school. Her one-of-a-kind teacher asked her if she wanted to talk about it privately, so they moved to the reading corner. Miss J then proceeded to recap all the glorious events of my "grumpy" morning, including the broken scraper, the yelling and the inanimate object name calling. Apparently Miss J mistook a boot being called stupid as herself being called stupid. This severely hurt her feelings, brilliant girl that she is, could not imagine her mother thinking her any less than so. Her sweet teacher comforted her and told her that it sure must be a lot of work to get three kids and a baby ready every morning, how frustrating it must have been to have to walk everyone in the cold to take Miss J to school, and how doing so showed how much I really do love her. Miss J thanked her and felt better. Mrs. Wonderful First Grade Teacher also explained that sometimes Mom's get frustrated and say things they don't mean. Miss J was confused by this fact and that's why she was telling me all of this. Was it possible that I sometimes said things I didn't mean? Oh girl!

I feel like I'm moving into a new realm of parenthood. I would much rather play pop goes the weasel than have to deal with the impending "private" talks that make me want to pop!

12 comments:

Andrea Hardee said...

Those are some super-cute little guys you have there!

And good on you for handling Miss J! Really, one mistake that you discuss with her will go a very long way toward building solid communication. What a great mom you are. Really. :)

Hoosier Mama said...

that teacher sounds awesome! that took guts for ms. j to tell you what she told her teacher! I can't wait to have a daughter someday in the not too soon future!

Anne Marie said...

What a cute scene of your little guys together! I agree with others. Your little girl does have guts! I think it's great you've fostered an environment where she feels safe enough to talk to you.

lani said...

You are human!! So good to know that you have bad mornings too. Sometimes my kids tell me I'm not being a nice mom, and I have to agree with them :) My sis-in-law calls it the "momster."

Alyson M. said...

Hello old friend! It sounds like winter blues might be breaking and good things are on the way. Hang in there! I'm glad Julia has an attentive teacher. It really does take a village.

Shauna said...

LOL! Your boys are darling. So fun that they are loving their life with those pop ups. :) Crazy about miss J. Sounds like her teacher is amazing. And you are too. :)

Michelle said...

i agree, i'm glad her teacher is so aware of what's happening with her! that's fabulous! and way to deal with a new situation...i don't know what i would do with a girl!

Rachel said...

What a wise teacher Ms. J has!

Jennifer said...

I just can't imagine the little tiny Miss J I knew talking let alone privacy talking. It does sound like she has a great teacher. Don't you love how everyone around our kids knows everything about our "moments".

Lori said...

As a teacher, I heard quite a few things and had to decipher what was an issue and what was not. Good thing this teacher has a good filter for that. On the other hand, I always wondered what the little kids were saying to their parent about their teacher, me, knowing how the great telephone game works. Hope this makes sense.

I get grumpy too. Really grumpy. Thank goodness for prayer.

Amy said...

Sign me up for one of those rabbits! I dread those momments of motherhood. I have two daughters and I can already catch a glimpse of what kind of emotional rollercoaster rides lie ahead. Cambria once asked me to scold her in a kinder voice because it would make her much more willing to correct her actions. I also hope your grumpy cloud has left you. My personal montra: This too shall pass. PS. I can't picture you being grumpy. It might make me laugh.

Amy said...

PSS I think Greg sounds like a great husband. But I guess I already knew that.

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