Sunday, December 23, 2007

Wisdom of children

Zion likes to roll around in the clean laundry when I dump it out onto my bed to fold. It drives me crazy, and he knows he's not allowed to do it. But he almost always tries. Today he was really testing my patience and thrashing and jumping and generally getting in my way, so I asked him to get off the bed. He didn't. So I shouted at him to get off the bed. He didn't, he just blew raspberries. So I really shouted and told him to get off the bed and into his room. He went, crying. I felt awful. 10 seconds later I heard him playing happily in there. Still, his recovery didn't change my bad behavior, so I finished folding his clothes and went in to talk.

We went over what he had done to end up in his room (jumping in the laundry, not listening) and then I told him that even though he was misbehaving I shouldn't have shouted at him like that and I was sorry. Zion looked at me severely.

"Yes, mama", he said. "What you should have done is said (insert very calm preschooler voice): Please get off the bed and go to your room. That's what you should have done. You say, Please get off the bed and go to your room, you do not start shouting like a jackass! Because we are nice people in this family and we do not shout and scream, unless someone is playing with a toy that you do not want them to have."

As his little speech progressed I resorted to snorting and hiding my face to keep from laughing. Luckily Zion didn't seem to notice, possessed as he was by the spirit of righteousness. When he was finished I agreed, and reminded him that even when someone has a toy we would rather she didn't play with we still shouldn't shout, but should use calm words instead.

Still, it's nice to know that he's listening, even if his application of the rule is rather lopsided, right?

9 comments:

Ko-D said...

Ahahahahaha!

Max has been up since four in the morning, skye has a cold, and I just spent two hours at the noisy laundromat 'cause our dryer broke.

Thanks for lifting my spirits!

Abby said...

Oh that is great!! Russell reprimanded me today too. He told me I was not using a nice voice...I wasn't, but I was so tired and aggrivated I didn't care. I had to go apologize too, after he went to his bedroom crying. Oh the joys of a four year old! :)

Melissa said...

Oh, that is so funny! He is one smart boy!

Unknown said...

Now THAT is yet another reason why I can't wait to have kids!
Jovi, thank you for sharing all of these moments. I feel like sometimes I'm not too far away...except when I want to come over and eat your baking. Then I feel really far away.

Zion is a riot.

Cookie's Mommy said...

lmao "like a jackass"

sounds like my filthy mouthed kid!

njt said...

What a capacity to twist the situation for his own gain. Zion may have a future in politics.

the main stitch upholstery said...

my kids would have given me the silent treatment which would have added to the time in their rooms followed by coming out and apologizing for jumping on the bed and promising to not do that anymore. go zion for calm reasoning. we are not there yet.........

Unknown said...

ROFLMAO...
"you do not start shouting like a jackass"

Brianna said...

hilarious -- of course this means that you're one step closer to eye rolling and "geeeeeeeez mom."