Reward Chart

T is going to wish he didn't start saying good listening or asking for a treat as reward every time he did something nice or followed instructions because this afternoon, he is going out with yours truly to pick up his very own rewards chart in the shops. I swear to be fair, honestly... this is gonna be so much fun <evil laugh>!

Let the next potty training phase commence

T makes me so proud I want to wail like Halle Berry did when she won that Oscar each time he makes a remarkable achievement. It's been over a month now and he has been diligently going  pooh pooh in the potty instead of his nappy; not even a single slip-up or accident at all. As he has made steady progress it is time to raise the bar and commence his next phase of potty training. He is already off to a flying start; this morning I found out his nappy, get this, from last night was dry; with all the water and milk he had he didn't pee in it at all. When I pointed it out to him, he clapped his hands with delight and said yay! It didn't end there, soon as 'd  put the nappy down, he stuck his hand out and said, that's a treat! I couldn't say no. It's mid-day now and he's been in pants instead of a nappy or pull up all morning. So far, he's dry having been to the toilet with the aid of a little prompting twice. Wish me luck!

The Mum that wouldn't just believe me

I have been asked some pretty awkward questions ever since becoming a dad but these sets of question I had to answer last Friday trump the rest. T and I had gone to a father's day event and there were a couple of children with their mums present. We had just finished making some cards and were busy playing in the kitchen when one of the other mums approached us and the following conversation occurred.

Mum: Your child, how old is he?

Me: Two

Mum: Are you sure?

Me: Course I am. He is my child

Mum: Hmm OK! Just wondering how at two he is able to understand all the things your are telling him and he is talking a lot as well. Are your definitely sure he is two?

Me: I'm not making it up

Mum: What is his date of birth then?

Me: <Reads out his birthday without pausing> 

Mum: My son is two and your son is not like him. My child does speak yet. You sure your son is two?

Me: Yes. Children develop differently you know. It might interest you to know there was a two year old in the newspaper two days ago that apparently can count to a thousand in 4 different languages and his parents have to take classes to keep up with him...

By then I was tired of being asked the same question over and over again and I was keen to find a way out. Luckily at that point T ran across the room to play with something so I followed. Just as I was walking away, I wanted to ask if she thought I was lying to make my son seem amazing but a little bit of me felt like her disagreeing may not necessarily be directed at me but perhaps at herself and her son's delay. It made me feel sorry for her. As a result I decided it was best to let sleeping dogs lie

 

Honesty is seriously the best policy

As a new parent I have heard stories and I am aware of the length many parents feel they need to go to keep their children ahead of the pack. It is quite usual to find parents fiddling and lying to get their children into the best schools, parents encouraging their children to lie and cheat in order to outperform other children, and parents cutting corners and using influence to get their children a quicker start. Who doesn't want the best for their children after all? Definitely not me so when a few weeks back I needed to get my son into a play group  I had already been informed he does not qualify for because we live in a different borough, I was prepared to pull all the stops necessary to get in. I dressed him in his cutest outfit, made sure his curls were super tight and stiff and stopped just short of putting Vaseline on his teeth so they sparkled. We got to the play group, sneaked in with the other parents and started playing. As long as we kept our head down, we will be fine... right? Not so! Forty five minutes into it, one of the staff members at the center approached me and asked me to confirm my son's name so he can check some details on the system. Seeing he hadn't asked any of the other parents present this information, I knew he was on to me; boy, this people that work with children have such amazing memories. It was cold that day but I started to sweat instantly. I gave my son's name and he told me he would be back in a minute. Not wanting to be embarrassed by being thrown out, I started to plot an escape. Leaving immediately was out of the question, we use the center for other children-centered activities and if I ran, it would mean never having to return again or returning and facing a telling off. Shall I lie and say we've moved boroughs? Play up how cute my child is while twisting one of his fabulous curls hoping that would get us a seal of approval? Or come clean and leave in shame when asked to? The man returned and said he could not find my son on the system. Phew! I thought we had had a lucky escape. This was until he thrust a registration form in my hands and asked me to complete it with our address so he can put us on the system. Surely I couldn't, the address would be a dead give away. Thankfully I was with a friend who was very quick thinking and told me once I had came clean to her that I should just say I don't have all the personal information I need at hand and would return with the completed form another day. I walked up to the staff member, said exactly that while trying not to fidget and all I got was a smirk and an okay then no problem. That was all the prompting I needed to confirm I had been caught out red handed. However I wasn't about to give up. I had one final card in my arsenal and although I didn't want to play it because it would include revealing some information, which I didn't want to necessarily have to reveal, I had to because my son loves this playgroup. I called the staff member aside once the playgroup was over and confessed making sure I was open and honest as much as possible. He was sympathetic and told me he would see what he can do.
To cut the long story short, the center has agreed to make an exception for us and we can now attend the playgroup. To think I didn't need to resort to playing games and tricks at all. It pays to be honest and I have learned my lesson.

Happy Father's day!

Although everyone can be a father (sperm donor), not every one can be a dad. Fathers who are present in their children's everyday life as their dads make today just that extra special and meaningful. This is dedicated to you.