Sunday 24 August 2008

What it's all about.

My one year old can't talk yet. The poor little guy is currently sick, and yesterday he was sitting on the floor, rolling his head forward and moaning "OOooooohhhh", over and over.

I moved to comfort my poor ailing son when he suddenly clapped a few times, then started the moaning again, then clapped again.

It took a few moments more to realise that, a little while before, the stereo had been playing the hokey pokey.

Ooooooh, the hokey pokey.
That's what it's all about.

Monday 18 August 2008

The following conversation took place recently between two children belonging to some friends of ours:

4yo boy: "I'll be a Ninja Turtle, and you can be a Princess!"

5yo girl (rolling eyes): "Don't be silly. Princesses aren't REAL!"

Sunday 6 July 2008

Geography

At my parents' place the other day, I spotted a compass lying around. My 5yo is very much into geography at the moment, so I told him what it was and he surprised me with his knowledge of the existance of the north and south poles. He's always asking me about places and whether they're in Australia or not.

Suddenly he said "Dad, do you know what the capital of Sebastian is?"

I struggled to identify the place and said "no, what it is it?"

"S".

Tuesday 10 June 2008

Before tact is learned...

"Daddy, are you shaving your spiky whiskers?"

"Yep, they're all gone now. See?"

"There's more on your back."

Sunday 11 May 2008

It really does happen!

This morning at the breakfast table:

5yo: No.
2yo: Yes.
5yo: No.
2yo: Yes.
5yo: No.
2yo: Yes.
5yo: No.
2yo: No.
5yo: Yes.
2yo: No.
5yo: Yes...

Unfortunately, I had my mouth full and missed the chance to blurt out "DUCK SEASON! FIRE!"

Tuesday 6 May 2008

My ten-month old baby was crying in the car, so I asked his brothers for a solution. "We could sing to him", offered five-year-old eldest. He sang "twinkle twinkle little star" to his brother.

"Look," I said, "He's stopped crying."

Big brother didn't stop there. "Dad," he said, "I'm gonna keep singing until all his tears blow away."

awwwwww...

Tuesday 12 February 2008

At 3am...

...I hear a two year old voice:
"Dad?"
.......
"Daaaad?"

I stumble in bleary eyed to be met with the phrase:

"Goodnight."

Monday 4 February 2008

Starting school.

I always used to scoff at parents that get teary at their kids' first day of school. I mean, they'll see them in a few hours, right?
Now I understand. The little baby I watched learn to breathe has now finished his Early Childhood (you know, the make-or-break period that sets them on their path for life) and they're about to be released into a faulty system over which you have no control.

Now imagine how THEY feel, entering an alien world without having developed the social skills to deal with it or articulate it to you.

The first day of school was a carefully engineered anticlimax, where the kids get taken in with no fuss and little chance to say goodbye.

The second day, the bell went and my five-year-old sat down on the line to go in, with the rest of the kids. I began to reassure him, told him I'd see him soon, and he turned to me and said:

"Dad, are you going to go or not?"

Fly, my son.