Do you ever have those moments when you think, "I must be doing something right"? I relish those moments because they offset the remainder of the time when I'm second guessing just about every move I make.
We had a marathon sick bird visit yesterday with an exotic pet doctor. After two hours of being in a small room it was finally time to go- birdless nonetheless. (Our birdie is on shaky ground and spent the night at the doctor's house last night being nursed with tube feedings and kept alive). It was 1pm and not only had we skipped lunch but it was now naptime and we were an hour from home. Upon leaving the office the nurse asked what my secret was. Secret?? She wanted to know how three little kids could be so well-behaved for that long. I blushed. "We talk - a lot" I answered.
"Let's go have a nice lunch together, shall we"? They were all for it. First we had to solve the shoe crisis. My middle man left the house with no shoes and wore his little brother's Crocs that just barely covered his toes. (Don't laugh- it could happen to you!)
We ended up at a small Chinese restaurant in which I first wondered if this would work. Tired boy/sit down restaurant/no backup daddy...It did work. We all sat very nicely. My daughter reminded the boys that in a Chinese restaurant you have to talk very quietly. :)
I could see her coming across the way. A sweet, little old lady with her cane. "My goodness" she began, "you children are all so well-behaved" and on and on she gushed. My children said their thank yous with a sheepish smile.
So twice in one day is just what I needed. And because I'm their mom, I'm claiming the compliments. I did make sure to let them know all the good stuff like 'others are aware of your behavior, not just me'. And of course that I was proud of them too. I outta get out of the house more often...
Thursday, September 11, 2008
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2 comments:
i too am lucky enough to have kids who behave somewhat decent in public and often get the 'wow, they are so well behaved comments'...though i think it is more because they are astonished that a mom would single handedly be willing to take 4 kids out to eat. last week we were at red robin and a man as he was leaving said "maam, you are doing a great job". i always say thanks and am sure to tell the kids that they were just complimented but it also kinda always bugs me because they arent always perfect...they are kids who can sometimes act like kids and in those times does that mean i am doing a bad job?
r
As a married person who wants kids very much but, as yet has none, I have been continually impressed with how wonderfully delightful all of the kids I know are...especially from homeschooled (usually large) families. So, I have never experienced any of the, "kids need school for socialization," worries that some people like to ignorantly bring up. I'm giving a shout-out to all the homeschooling families out there! Keep up the good work!
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