I had a moment last week when I worried about the (okay, my--) parenting of my youngest daughter. She loves babysitting, and she went off with a skip in her step to watch over our friends' boys. The three year old was still up, so she had the task of putting him to bed. When I picked her up, she told me all about it.
"We played blocks," she said. (That's good, I thought. Nice divergent, creative play.)
"We watched a show." (I'd rather you'd have read more books, but okay.)
"I read him a few books." (Now we're talking! What books did you read?)
"The only problem I had was that he wanted me to sing Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star." (What?!?!? Why?!?! You have a beautiful voice--)
And then, she told me she had to google the words to Twinkle, Twinkle.
I'll let you go back and read that again. Yes. Go back and read that last line again.
Nope, not the second verse. The main verse.
I'll let you go back and read that again. Yes. Go back and read that last line again.
Nope, not the second verse. The main verse.
I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Had I really not taught my little girl the words to Twinkle, Twinkle?
I laughed. So did she.
"I couldn't remember if there was another line after the diamond in the sky part," she explained. "I know the tune from playing violin, but not the words."
Fortunately, she's a child who sees the humor in these sort of occurrences, and she can acknowledge that learning words is sometimes hard for her. And I can acknowledge that since she is the youngest of four, she might not have heard traditional lullabies with the same enthusiasm as her older sisters might have.
But I'm left to wonder what else I have forgotten to teach her. What else is she missing? And will those other missing parts be able to be filled in by a quick google search?
Here's hoping--
Happy writing,
Fortunately, she's a child who sees the humor in these sort of occurrences, and she can acknowledge that learning words is sometimes hard for her. And I can acknowledge that since she is the youngest of four, she might not have heard traditional lullabies with the same enthusiasm as her older sisters might have.
But I'm left to wonder what else I have forgotten to teach her. What else is she missing? And will those other missing parts be able to be filled in by a quick google search?
Here's hoping--
Happy writing,
I always wonder about the experiences my youngest missed out on. I guess it's a parent thing!
ReplyDeleteI loved your last and redeeming line - And will those other missing parts be able to be filled in by a quick google search?
The saving grace: from the sounds of your daughter, my guess is that her future children will all know the words to Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. She'll make sure of it!
ReplyDeleteThis reminds me of how my youngest of four made it to FOURTH grade and I had forgotten to teach him our phone number. He's always just been with older siblings, and some event arose that caused him to need to call and he couldn't! So I totally get your drift. I am constantly looking now for what I've not taught him and rectify the situation.
ReplyDeleteBTW, it doesn't end there. My three are all in their early 20s and I'm still wondering what else I've forgotten to teach them!
ReplyDeleteWell, now I know what I'm asking my kids tomorrow! Funny how we think certain things must be part of our fabric. I bet this moment of laughter is certainly a memory and a moment she won't soon forget.
ReplyDelete