Thursday 25 February 2016

Mini-me

I love our morning drives to school - it's short, but we pack a lot of talk into it. Sometimes one kid has a lot to say, other times they talk over each other and sometimes I have to ask questions. Let's be honest - not all of us are morning people. But there is always some talk going on. I also like to discuss the day or the previous day if there was not much time to talk the day before.

This morning I had a very quiet kid in the car - the other two were yapping away but no sound from the girl child - even after I flung a question at her. When I glanced to her side she was totally caught up in a book she is reading - the same one I had to drag her away from last night when she could not get to the point of switching off her beside lamp. And just like that I saw myself as an eleven year old. In the same state  - totally entranced by a book, in my mom's car on our way to school. My mom totally irritated by it. Even today I can get caught up in a book in absolute totality. I realized that what was irritating my mom so hugely about  me at that age is possibly irritating me too. The apple certainly did not fall far from the tree.
Mr C made these huge origami flowers from an iPad app - all on his own

And so it is with more than the reading. I started thinking about the child I was and the children we are raising. I see it in Mr C when he gets some craft or art idea. Totally 100% me as a child - with still a bit left of that today. He has to do it now! He needs materials or ideas to substitute what a book or idea might suggest with something we have. Preferably now - or later today. I see it in Mr L that can be so stubborn  that I almost want to strangle him. I can recall the stubborn child I was (and adult I am - although that is maybe a tad harder to admit).

While some of these traits are good ones and may stand them in good steed one day, we need to work on them and get the good bits out of the deal and maybe leave the bad bits behind. Today was just a bit of a revelation - a flash back and a peak into the girl I was in the daughter we have. 

I would love to know what you recognize of yourself in your kids?

6 comments:

  1. Keiden is so stubborn, he got a double dose from both J and I. The rest I'll see as it happens.

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  2. This morning I felt this very same way as I walked into our living room and I saw my daughter curled up on her side reading a book. I remember sitting sideways in my parent's chair with my legs over the arm rest totally inthralled in a Ramona Quimby book. Special moments! I love those flowers too! WOW!

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  3. I see lots of me in Nicola...but lots of not me too. She's a night owl like I was. She hates homework, like I did. She can argue and make a good point. She has a temper of note on her. She is fiercely loyal to her people. Huge animal lover. Not like me: She's much more resilient than I was at this age. She battles to make new friends, which was never a problem for me. We have a much better relationship than I had with my parents at that age.

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    Replies
    1. I do think most parents have better relationships with their children today.

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  4. Gosh, our kids are so like us aren't they. Liam likes his fish, mash and veggies mixed into one big pile (me), loves peanut butter (DH, strips his moer easily (me), loves to potter in the garden (me) or in the garage (DH).
    I can't wait for Liam to appreciate reading. He is so anti-learning to read which makes homework difficult. I keep telling him that books will make him clever
    It's true that they learn from what they see

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So what's on your mind?