My daughter sent me a text yesterday asking me for a simple
cookie recipe. She needed to find something new and fun for John, he is 3
1/2, to do. I love to bake, so I was very happy to see that they were
going to bake something together. It is a great way for parents and kids
to have some quality time.
I know that the weather has not been the best for them lately. They have had about a week of rain, ice, and snow. John and his older brother, Tyler, who is 5, were so excited when they woke up Monday morning to see snow on the ground that, in an excited hurry to build a snow man, they got dressed and ran out the door not realizing how cold it was. Unfortunately, not only was it far too cold to be playing outside, Tyler had to go to school. That meant that John was going to be inside all day, again, and he would not have his brother to play with.
Even as adults we know what it's like to feel a little stir crazy. Children have a much harder time trying to channel all that energy productively. I have to say though that John came up with a way that was pretty creative. I can laugh because and it didn't happen to me.
You see, my daughter has a newborn as well, a little girl, so she tries to get a nap in when she can. It was a Sunday, and the whole family was home. She asked their dad to watch the two boys for a little while so she could take a nap while the baby was sleeping. He agreed, reluctantly, so she reminded him that it would give them a chance to spend a little time together. Well, he put a movie in for John and Tyler to watch, and then fell asleep.
When my daughter woke from her nap, she went into the front room and froze in disbelief. She said, "Mom, the whole room was sparkling." It turns out that while their dad was sleeping, John, the mischievous one of the two, went into the kitchen and got the Elmer's glue out of the drawer. He then proceeded to squeeze glue all over the floor, and all over the couch, and all over his dad.
He then got a container of glitter and shook it out all over the floor, and all over the couch, and all over his dad, who slept through the whole thing. My daughter said, "Mom I wanted to be mad but all I could do was laugh. I try to tell him that the boys have got to be watched. You can't just stick them in front of the TV and expect them to not get into anything. They are boys. He he just doesn't get it, now maybe it will sink in." She said that he still had glitter in his hair when he left for work the next day.
Obviously John was feeling like doing some arts & crafts, not watching a movie. It is a good idea to give kids an option as opposed to making them just sit and stare at the TV and expecting them to enjoy it.
I can see dad leaning more toward food than glue and glitter. Try suggesting making some mini pizzas on English Muffins. They still get to make something, and then they get to eat it. Then next time, get a tube of crescent rolls and a package of mini hot dogs, and make some pigs in a blanket. There are so many ideas and recipes online for easy things you can make together. If you set aside a regular day and time for that, your kids will look forward to it all week and before you know it, so will you. Most importantly, spend quality time with your children, you can't get that time back, and memories are priceless. One day memories of you is all they will have, so make them the best that you can.
By Kelli Mink
I know that the weather has not been the best for them lately. They have had about a week of rain, ice, and snow. John and his older brother, Tyler, who is 5, were so excited when they woke up Monday morning to see snow on the ground that, in an excited hurry to build a snow man, they got dressed and ran out the door not realizing how cold it was. Unfortunately, not only was it far too cold to be playing outside, Tyler had to go to school. That meant that John was going to be inside all day, again, and he would not have his brother to play with.
Even as adults we know what it's like to feel a little stir crazy. Children have a much harder time trying to channel all that energy productively. I have to say though that John came up with a way that was pretty creative. I can laugh because and it didn't happen to me.
You see, my daughter has a newborn as well, a little girl, so she tries to get a nap in when she can. It was a Sunday, and the whole family was home. She asked their dad to watch the two boys for a little while so she could take a nap while the baby was sleeping. He agreed, reluctantly, so she reminded him that it would give them a chance to spend a little time together. Well, he put a movie in for John and Tyler to watch, and then fell asleep.
When my daughter woke from her nap, she went into the front room and froze in disbelief. She said, "Mom, the whole room was sparkling." It turns out that while their dad was sleeping, John, the mischievous one of the two, went into the kitchen and got the Elmer's glue out of the drawer. He then proceeded to squeeze glue all over the floor, and all over the couch, and all over his dad.
He then got a container of glitter and shook it out all over the floor, and all over the couch, and all over his dad, who slept through the whole thing. My daughter said, "Mom I wanted to be mad but all I could do was laugh. I try to tell him that the boys have got to be watched. You can't just stick them in front of the TV and expect them to not get into anything. They are boys. He he just doesn't get it, now maybe it will sink in." She said that he still had glitter in his hair when he left for work the next day.
Obviously John was feeling like doing some arts & crafts, not watching a movie. It is a good idea to give kids an option as opposed to making them just sit and stare at the TV and expecting them to enjoy it.
I can see dad leaning more toward food than glue and glitter. Try suggesting making some mini pizzas on English Muffins. They still get to make something, and then they get to eat it. Then next time, get a tube of crescent rolls and a package of mini hot dogs, and make some pigs in a blanket. There are so many ideas and recipes online for easy things you can make together. If you set aside a regular day and time for that, your kids will look forward to it all week and before you know it, so will you. Most importantly, spend quality time with your children, you can't get that time back, and memories are priceless. One day memories of you is all they will have, so make them the best that you can.
By Kelli Mink
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