I miss them so much I'm going to make you all relive them with me.
Lucky you.
I've decided that Mondays will be dedicated to posts about the days of old.
Why Monday?
Because today is Monday.
Anyone who has read this blog for more than a week knows I don't think ahead and plan!
Will it be every Monday?
No clue. I told you I just thought of this idea today!
Shoot, I'm posting this at 11:00 on Monday night. Clearly this has not been thought through.
If you need a plan, plan on at least once a month.
Today, for the inaugural Monday Memory, I give you the story about my little girl that got this whole things started...
Buttercup has always been a smart, independent girl.
When she was 6 months old, she learned to crawl. Unlike all of my boys, who never wanted to leave the room I was in, she would crawl off to the playroom to amuse herself.
When she was a year old, she never spoke, so I assumed she couldn't. And then I found her sitting behind a chair with a picture book. Each time she turned the page, she would point to the photo and say what the picture showed. "Dog. Ball. Block..." That sort of thing.
When she was three, I discovered her sitting on the couch, each of her younger brothers on either side of her. She was "reading" a book to them. I didn't think anything of it at first, assuming it was a book we had been reading a lot lately. Upon closer inspection, I saw that it was a book we hadn't read in months. And she was reading it word for word.
I tested her by giving her another book.
She read it.
I tested her further by showing her the cover of a magazine I had just gotten in the mail that day.
She read every single word on that cover.
When she was three.
From that point on, she never stopped reading.
While I was glad that she enjoyed reading so much, as she got older, it made life a little more difficult. Nevermind finding chapter books on her reading level that were appropriate for a 5 year old. Going through the grocery checkout lane (full of horrible magazine covers) with a kindergartener who can sound out unfamiliar words made me a quick study in distraction.
When she was five, Buttercup received a princess nightgown for Christmas. Oh was she excited for bed that night! Immediately after finishing her dinner, she ran upstairs to put it on.
Five minutes later, she came downstairs, wearing old pajamas, crying harder than I had seen her cry in a long time. She didn't even cry that hard when she pulled her elbow out of socket.
It took us a few minutes to calm her down enough to even find out what was wrong.
Through her sobs, she moaned, "I...can't...wear...my...new...pajamaaaaaaaaas! They...fit...loosely...and if I wear them...I'll...catch...fiiiiiiire!"
She honest to goodness thought she was going to spontaneously burst into flames if she wore them to bed.
It took me a second, but the answer finally dawned on me.
On her new nightgown was a tag.
And Buttercup had read it.
"For child's safety, garment should fit snugly.
This garment is not flame resistant.
Loose-fitting garment is more likely to catch fire."
We'll save the post about really stupid legislation for another time and another series.
Have a lovely day!
Oh my. Best story ever!!! Hahaha!!! Love this! I can't wait to read more like it, and to think I have these kinds of experiences to look forward to myself! Kids are the best.
ReplyDeleteWell, I'm glad somebody is excited for the series. :)
DeleteOh, no doubt you will have plenty of funny, heartwarming, and adorable stories of your own soon enough.
Awwwww....poor little Buttercup. :( Kind of like the tags on mattresses and pillows. Oish.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to reliving all your memories and I'm sure you will be waaaaay more successful than I ever was attempting a series. ;)
Don't count on it. My memory isn't all that great, and I might actually forget to do this next week or another week in the future. :)
DeleteHow about idiotic legislation Tuesdays? Just a thought.
ReplyDeleteAh, but there's no alliteration! Series require it. :)
DeleteButtercup is brilliant. Yes she is and I loved the pajama part the very best. That girl can not only read well, her comprehension is spot on.
ReplyDeleteHave a fabulous day. ☺
Yes, her comprehension has always been very good. I don't know about brilliant, but she picks up on things pretty quickly. :)
DeleteOh, the downside of having a precocious child! What a wonder she is! I love an independent spirit.
ReplyDeleteShe most certainly is independent. Unlike my very dependent boys... :)
DeleteLizzi, I can answer that one. Loose-fitting PJs (or any other loose-fitting garments) are more likely to brush the flame of a gas stove, for example. I've known children who have suffered terrible burns in just such a manner.
ReplyDeleteYour Buttercup reminds me of my oldest. He shared a bedroom with his baby brother. Every night when he was 4, the package of diapers would come flying out of their bedroom into the hall, because he could read the warning on the plastic bag urging to keep away from small children due to the risk of suffocation. No amount of reasoning with him could convince him that he wouldn't spontaneously suffer suffocation at the hands of the plastic bag of diapers.
ReplyDeleteHahahahahaha!!!! That is hilarious!!! I can just picture that bag being thrown out of the room by a little boy, and you and John just standing there laughing.
DeleteWhat a smart little girl ... this was a wonderful story and something that is hers - or part of her. It almost reminds me when I was drinking and driving yes drinking a cup of coffee - and yes both my kids said that was against the law. LOLOL!
ReplyDeleteHahaha! I think I need to do a link up for all parents to share their old stories of their kids. That could be lots of fun!
DeleteOh my goodness, that's definitely a story to remember, poor girl. Reading at 3 years old is amazing! Lily just learned how to read in school and will read everything that she lays her eyes on. I'm so excitd to finally be able to share the world of books with our oldest! I hope Buttercup had the sweatest dreams in her Princess night gown!
ReplyDeleteReading clicks at a different time for each child, and it is marvelous no matter when it occurs. I love helping my kids find new books to read.
DeleteShe wasn't one to have nightmares, so I assume her dreams were pleasant. :)
As Kristi said, yes, loose-fitting things are more likely to catch the flame and ignite. Why I mentioned stupid legislation...pajamas have long been chemically treated to be fire retardant, but in 1997 laws were revamped and PJs that were made to be snug-fitting didn't have to be treated. I'm not a fan of chemicals being used for a variety of reasons. I don't know why pajamas were targeted, seeing as how more burns occur when kids are in regular clothing. As Kristi also said, loose-fitting garments of any kind are more likely to brush up against a flame. It seems like a whole lot of money put into the wrong kind of education and laws.
ReplyDeleteWhere did my comment go??
ReplyDeleteThis is a great story, Christine, and I love the idea of the feature. Or the link-up. Or whatever you do or don't do with it. :D
Zilla gets herself into situations like that all the time. Reading early is so awesome...and yet opens up a very frightening world. We've also had to remember that we can not spell things we don't want her to hear or know because that went out the window long ago, too.
great idea (for a series)… should be interesting (how you go about it), will you alternate between children for each Monday… or wait until a memory pushes itself to the front of your mind?
ReplyDeleteteaching herself to read…. very cool
This actually happened to a friend's daughter. She was about 6, had on a floaty nightgown, went out to the garage where her dad was working on something to say goodnight, got too close to a propane heater, and the nightgown caught on fire. That she had just gotten out of the bathtub and had very long, still wet, hair saved her from worse burns than she suffered, which ended up being relatively minor, as burns go.
ReplyDeleteI wish I'd kept journals when my kids were small. you think there's NO WAY you're going to forget something adorable or brilliant they do, but, well. Great idea for a series. A sporadic series. And that Buttercup is a PEACH. Have I said that before?
ReplyDelete