Roberto Alejandro was always up to something. His teacher always told him that he was so smart that his brain got moving faster than his body and sometimes that got him into trouble.
As Roberto sat in time out, he figured that must be what happened. Either that, or adults just really didn't understand life.
Roberto had noticed that his Mommy's tummy was getting bigger. One night after dinner, his favorite dinner of macaroni and only one bite of vegetables, Mommy and Daddy said they wanted to talk.
"Uh-oh" thought Roberto. That usually meant he had to go to time-out and not play with his favorite toys. Roberto Alejandro thought about how he had cut in line at preschool that day and still couldn't understand why his mom and dad always knew everything!
Roberto became confused because his Mommy was smiling and his Daddy looked excited like his favorite football team just won the game! "Roberto, we have some special news," said Mommy. "Mommy's tummy is growing because she is going to have a baby. You are going to be a big brother!" said Daddy.
Roberto smiled because Mommy and Daddy were smiling, but inside his heart felt funny. He felt excited and scared all at the same time. They all hugged and then it was time for bed.
After Mommy and Daddy prayed with Roberto and left the room, Roberto stared at the ceiling for a long time. Inside his heart started to feel very scared again and then he thought that maybe his parents were worried about the new baby and wouldn't notice him so much anymore. He couldn't fall asleep so he decided to play.
Since he was the big brother now, he decided he was older and that must mean it was time to get the remote controlled truck that was on the top shelf of his closet. Grandpa had said that it was a gift for when he was older. Roberto snuck out of bed and climbed on the dresser and hung on the clothing railing in the closet and used his other little hand to knock the box to the floor. "CRASH". He hoped Mommy and Daddy didn't hear. He was very quiet and listened.
He heard snoring and knew he was safe. He hopped down to the floor and tried to open the box. Grandpa sure did a good job with this box he thought. He started ripping the box apart and soon the floor was covered with cardboard, Styrofoam and a bright, new, shiny red truck. Roberto raced the truck around the floor.
Roberto asked for too many glasses of water before bed and realized he had to use the bathroom. With very quite tippy toes, he scurried down the hall. When he started to wash his hands, the slippery soap jumped out and broke in half in the sink. Roberto's brain started doing that thing when it moves really fast and he wondered how many pieces he could break the soap into. Roberto forgot to turn off the water faucet while he broke the soap into lots of pieces. Soon he noticed that the water was right at the edge of the sink! "Oh no!" he thought. He wasn't sure what to do, so he started pushing all of the pieces of soap down the drain. He turned the water off, but the water wouldn't go away. Roberto thought about never coming out of the bathroom again so that his parents would never find out. Then he thought of the BEST IDEA EVER!
He would tell his parents that his baby brother did it! With his new-found plan and his racing brain, Roberto decided to see what else he could create in the bathroom. Roberto saw a large jar of stuff that looked like lotion and he decided to put it on his body like he had seen Mommy and Daddy do. Something seemed wrong with the thick, clear lotion, but Roberto kept going. He rubbed all over his body and looked in the mirror. His whole body was really shiny. He couldn't get that thick, clear lotion off of his hands, so he decided to give himself a bath because his whole body felt slimy.
Roberto wasn't sure how to make the water stay in the tub, so he covered the drain with a cup and turned the water on full blast. Before he could get in to clean the slimy lotion off of his body, he heard a knock at the door. Roberto had locked the door when he thought he might need to live the rest of his life in the bathroom.
"Roberto, open this door RIGHT now," Daddy said. Roberto was very afraid. He looked at the tub that was filling up. He looked at the sink full of broken soap and water and he looked down at his very, very shiny belly. Then, he remembered something, his baby brother did it!
Roberto hopped over to the door and struggled to open it because his greasy hands kept sliding over the handle.
Roberto's Daddy walked in a groaned. The bathroom was completely disheveled and his son was covered in Vaseline. Water was spraying from the shower head and the water line of the tub was almost over flowing. Daddy turned the water off and unplugged the drain. "Roberto, what happened?" Daddy said. Roberto could tell Daddy's voice was angry but he was trying to be nice at the same time. Roberto wasn't worried.
"The baby did it," Roberto said, very pleased with his answer.
"Rhonda," Daddy called. That was Mommy's big person name. A very pregnant Rhonda waddled into the room and gasped. "The baby did it," Roberto repeated.
****
How would you end this story on a teachable moment? So many topics to address! Trust, honesty, respect. Send your ideas! More to come!
Friday, August 2, 2013
Wip Chap and Wet Pants...Always Welcome
Last weekend my "nieces" came to stay with me for the evening. At one and three they are as cute as can be. I had moved apartments within the same complex since the last time they had visited. Their big eyes sparkled as their little feet counted the steps up the stairs and down the hall to "1-3-0-2". I made them stop at the door and say the apartment number before entering. I'm a teacher, what can I say, every moment is a teachable moment!
We were barely in the door before they both took off. I pride myself with working with children, but two under the age of three is BUSY! Within thirty seconds the little one had found a Sharpie and was marking up my gift receipt on the carpet! The older one politely asked if she could go into my bathroom and get some "wip chap", also known as lip chap, Chapstick, or lip gloss. We'll call my niece Chrissy for privacy sake. Chrissy is obsessed with wip chap to put it mildly.
I let Chrissy select a wip chap after snagging the Sharpie from Mae (Name also changed). Chrissy swirled and swirled the gold gloss over her tiny lips. She didn't quite have the art of smoothing the gloss over her lips so she ended up with a goopy gold pout. "Auntie, may I hold the wip chap and do you have any pink wip chap because I see it on your lips and I would like to use that." She's a smart one. "No Chrissy," I said "We are only going to use one lip chap (Why do I know think it's appropriate to call lip gloss lip chap?), but I will let you hold it as long as you keep the lid on tight. You may not open it without asking me." Chrissy listened very well and proceeded to ask me no less than seventeen times to reapply the lip chap because she felt it had worn off.
The girls did not have their swimming suits, but I had promised them we would go to the pool and dip our feet into the water. I knew they would get a bit wet as you can't tell a one and three-year-old to sit by a pool and not splash.
I held Mae on my lap and we kicked and splashed the water. She giggled and had a blast. Chrissy knew to sit right next to me. Like any inquisitive three-year-old I noticed she kept inching her little bottom further off of the step and closer to the water. Acting like I didn't notice and giving her a chance to re-think her choice, I nonchalantly said, "Chrissy, where is your bottom? Is it on the step". She literally looked at her bottom and then backed her little self to the step. A few more moments passed and Chrissy had inched herself onto the first step. The hem of her shorts got wet. I noticed her startled look she realized she had stepped too far into the water. Deciding to let the scene play out, I watched as she started to slide to the railing and splash. Soon, Chrissy's shorts were entirely wet and her little neon pink tank top wasn't far behind. "Chrissy, are you wet?" I asked her. Then the most interesting thing happened...
"Yes, Auntie. But I fine" Chrissy said waving her hand as if to brush off my concern. She thought she had fooled me. Oh the precious innocence of a child when they learn to bend the truth...
"Chrissy, did you use listening ears and hear Auntie's instructions?" I asked. "Yes ma'am" she said. "I asked you several times to stay on the step where you would be safe and not get wet. You chose not to listen. So now we are going to go home and change into your dry pajamas. Pool time is over."
"I'm sorry Auntie, so you gotta room for me now since I'm staying with you?" I couldn't help but laugh. My sweet niece assumed I was putting her to bed because we were going to put her pajamas on.
Wip chap and wet pants, I always welcome the special learning moments for us all.
jillian
We were barely in the door before they both took off. I pride myself with working with children, but two under the age of three is BUSY! Within thirty seconds the little one had found a Sharpie and was marking up my gift receipt on the carpet! The older one politely asked if she could go into my bathroom and get some "wip chap", also known as lip chap, Chapstick, or lip gloss. We'll call my niece Chrissy for privacy sake. Chrissy is obsessed with wip chap to put it mildly.
I let Chrissy select a wip chap after snagging the Sharpie from Mae (Name also changed). Chrissy swirled and swirled the gold gloss over her tiny lips. She didn't quite have the art of smoothing the gloss over her lips so she ended up with a goopy gold pout. "Auntie, may I hold the wip chap and do you have any pink wip chap because I see it on your lips and I would like to use that." She's a smart one. "No Chrissy," I said "We are only going to use one lip chap (Why do I know think it's appropriate to call lip gloss lip chap?), but I will let you hold it as long as you keep the lid on tight. You may not open it without asking me." Chrissy listened very well and proceeded to ask me no less than seventeen times to reapply the lip chap because she felt it had worn off.
The girls did not have their swimming suits, but I had promised them we would go to the pool and dip our feet into the water. I knew they would get a bit wet as you can't tell a one and three-year-old to sit by a pool and not splash.
I held Mae on my lap and we kicked and splashed the water. She giggled and had a blast. Chrissy knew to sit right next to me. Like any inquisitive three-year-old I noticed she kept inching her little bottom further off of the step and closer to the water. Acting like I didn't notice and giving her a chance to re-think her choice, I nonchalantly said, "Chrissy, where is your bottom? Is it on the step". She literally looked at her bottom and then backed her little self to the step. A few more moments passed and Chrissy had inched herself onto the first step. The hem of her shorts got wet. I noticed her startled look she realized she had stepped too far into the water. Deciding to let the scene play out, I watched as she started to slide to the railing and splash. Soon, Chrissy's shorts were entirely wet and her little neon pink tank top wasn't far behind. "Chrissy, are you wet?" I asked her. Then the most interesting thing happened...
"Yes, Auntie. But I fine" Chrissy said waving her hand as if to brush off my concern. She thought she had fooled me. Oh the precious innocence of a child when they learn to bend the truth...
"Chrissy, did you use listening ears and hear Auntie's instructions?" I asked. "Yes ma'am" she said. "I asked you several times to stay on the step where you would be safe and not get wet. You chose not to listen. So now we are going to go home and change into your dry pajamas. Pool time is over."
"I'm sorry Auntie, so you gotta room for me now since I'm staying with you?" I couldn't help but laugh. My sweet niece assumed I was putting her to bed because we were going to put her pajamas on.
Wip chap and wet pants, I always welcome the special learning moments for us all.
jillian
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)