I recently read this great blog post written by a lesbian mom of 3 boys. I regret I cannot find the link to put in here..she writes that while your daughters may give you on occasion the silent treatment/cold shoulder/bad mood swings etc (take your pick) your son will always just love you.
I am a mother to a 7 year old boy and 2.5 year old girl and I totally agree! My Jonathan has a simple and loving heart! Not a day goes by in which he does not tell me more than once quite simple that he loves me. On every second day he will tall me that I am beautiful/pretty alternatively he will call me the "coolest mom ever!" (his words , I swear!). What an ego booster- and I have all in-house!
My boy has a heart of gold and I am the major beneficiary of his enormous capacity for love!
Jasmin, already at 2.5 may give me the shoulder if she does not want to do something, and at other occasions she mimics me scolding, but turns it around to scold me! Her latest rebuke is "savlanut!", which means patience in Hebrew. And so I am lectured on the virtues of waiting, for a 2.5 year old to finish whatever she is doing at that exact moment (climbing the sofa, watching TV, having a pretend phone call using a magnet...).
I know Jasmin loves me too. She runs to the door the minute I arrive from work and dashes forward full thrust to give my leg a grip hug! Even her older and physically bigger brother cannot beat her to the door, even if he tries (he sometimes tries if he can get away from the computer screen long enough to greet me upon my arrival).
Both children love their daddy too and Jasmin, ever daddy's girl, practically cannot fall asleep until she has ensured that daddy too has returned from work (my husband works in the evenings). Recently Jonathan has been voicing how important family members are to him, how much he loves us all. He even invented a song about it "Ich liebe Alle!" in German, a simple melody naming all his family members, grandparents and cousins included and the simple statement "I love all".
He has also been repeatedly telling me how important it is to him that we do things together, and protesting when this does not happen as often as he would like (I sometimes truly regret that both my husband and I work and have little time during the week...). Jonathan will simply revel at spending an afternoon with me, even if we spend it running errands. He just loves being together with mommy! A mother's life is just full of humor, ridiculous situations, surprises and if she is lucky to have a son, then also lots and lots and lots of cuddling, hugs, kisses and simple plain love! Yes indeed, boys will simply love you! Always!
Showing posts with label children independence. Show all posts
Showing posts with label children independence. Show all posts
Monday, October 27, 2014
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Cute Speech Mistakes
Better Late than never! I started collecting this s year ago. Jonathan is by now a strapping youth of 5 years!
Jonathan's special
vocabulary
at almost
four year
of age,
Jonathan is
inventing new
forms and
you words,
as is
typical of
children his
age. Working
with two
languages is
proving a challenge
and his
tendency to
swallow words
is not
helping, the
result, however,
can be
interesting. I tried
to document
the best.
pippopotam (instead of
hippopotam) = hippopotamus
jrefy = tom
and jerry
asati (instead of
asiti) = I made/
I did
shatati (instead of
shatiti) = I
drank
[caused by the
basic form of first
past tense in Hebrew]
tiftoach (instead of
tiftach/tiftechi)= (you) open
(something) - [caused
by the infinitive
form of Liftoach]
ventich (instead of
sandwitch)
Legamer (insteadof
ligmor)=
finish
Ani Mizaher (instead
of ani nizhar) =
I am being careful
Ani micanes (instead of ani nichnas)=I am coming in/entering
hasfaka (instaed of
hafsaka)=pause/break, masfik instead of maspik (enough) or mafsik (stop)
lehasfik m(instead
of lahfsik)
=to stop
feifeifiya – instrad
of yefeifiya (beautiful
female)
podcorn – instead of popcorn
clay mobile – instead of Playmobile (Kelim means tools in
Hebrew, I wonder if this is just a phonetic mistake or a logic mistake)
I have a sensible idea…”Yesh Li Raayon Hegyoni” – his
opening sentence for special requests or a starting point for negotiating his
wishes
Aval Ima! But mommy – his opening statement when
explaining or negotiating (usually after I said no to somthing)
in German all
gets the addition of
“ein” - even though
verbs are not supposed
to get
it this prefix at
all:
Ein-tanzen=to dance
Ein-trinken = to
drink
Ein-knoepfen= to press
(a button) – this one
is an entirely new
creation based on
the noun Knopf (button
in German) and refers
to using a vending
machine to buy
a drink or a
snack.
Ein kitzel = to tickle
kikminchen = kikaninchen (kika +kaninchen)
ich hab dich lieb- gam du – interesting sentence structure
and mixing a bit of Hebrew in too (gam=also)
fe-fau-de: instead of de-fau-de – DVD in german
birthsteg – a mix between the English birthday and the
german geburtstag…
When Jonathan is
not able to use
words, he still knows
how to help himself
to communication. In
our recent summer holiday
in Germany, visiting family
and friends, when facing
the need to request
a pair of scissors
in German and not
knowing the word,
after he expressed
the wish in Hebrew
once and saw no
reaction from a
German speaking friend, he
pulled on the friend's
sleeve and with his
hand showed her the
action of cutting (using
two fingers in a
V shape and opening
and closing them, like
scissors).
He likes to do pantomime on a daily basis even at home.
Making sucking sounds and demonstrating drinking in order to ask that I assist
him in making a drink (June 2012).
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Analytical skills, disciplinary challenges and medical impossibilities
Jonathan is going through a hard time; he is after all 4.5 and has a new baby sister! This is the reason why he is stretching the limits of his parents’ nerves! His ability to resist what he is being told to do is becoming more elaborated as he gets older and his speech abilities improve, the results can be surprising. Despite the rather stressed situation we are all in, getting used to the expansion of our family, there is always room for sweet gestures and a little love.
Jonathan is probably very good with numbers, the psychologist who works in his kindergarten (standard service in Israel) says he is very smart, even a bit higher than average for his age, and he shows a string affinity to numbers. I always knew he likes numbers, he likes to count, shows and recognizes the digits, wants to know what number is each house we pass in the street is etc.
Recently, however, he is showing a more abstract understanding of amounts. We were watching the television together, when a commercial for children cereal was running. This particular advert was for a chocolate flavor type. The over sweet breakfast is presented as full of vitamins and tasty health for kids, offering simplicity and relaxation for parents. Jonathan, who loves TV commercials and loves the colorful products shown in them even more, was immediately enthusiastic and he pointed at the cereal and screams “I love this!” in delight. I took the role of educational mom and explained to him that this cereal contains way too much sugar and chocolate, thus unhealthy. The boy’s simple solution to my plight was stated directly, “then all we need to do is serve just a bit” said he. One must agree that smaller portions do indeed reduce the amount of sugars, no?
Jonathan decided to bring me a gift. He found a pink business card in the street with lovely red lips graphics on it. He picked it up and told his father that he is bringing mommy a kiss! Once he got home, he delivered the card to me with delight and prided himself on bringing me a kiss that he found for me a sweet gesture indeed, my heart melted accordingly. What made it more memorable is that the card contained an advert for escorting services…thank G_d the boy still does not read…and the graphics was really lovely, the card was well designed, and I am keeping it, so I can show it to Jonathan and tell him the story when he is older and more understanding of the world.
Jonathan just does not want to do anything he should do! He does not want to get up in the morning (understandable, its so warm in the bed covers…) He does not want to get dressed, brush his teeth, go to kindergarten…and in the evening it’s the same for taking a bath or even going out to the garden. Anything that interferes with his know discovery of the computer (cool games and you can also watch children’s videos…) is rejected! Jonathan’s parents are being bothersome and order him around – after all one must take care of daily rituals like eating and hygiene, and so the computer must wait…
The result of the fact that I must compete with the computer for Jonathan’s attention is that he screams and wails every time I ask him to do things. He drags himself on the floor and complains of pains in his stomach. Then he says he cannot stand. To add some effect to his performance he begins to make choking sounds and sticks his tongue out. Recently he added a medical impossibility to his arsenal – he complains that his legs are broken and his head is broken, then he forgets himself and minute later he is standing up, happy as can be…I told him I had no idea one can walk on broken legs, and with a broken head. The negotiations between us have a few varieties; one of his methods is to let me know that I should do whatever it is he should be doing (you pick up the toys mommy, you bring the clothes, you turn off the TV), this tactic usually results in my declaration that we should do it together, and then he will maybe put away two toys and I will parallel be stowing an entire drawer full...
Another version is an exchange – if he picks up the toys he can then have a chocolate. Recently my demand from his is that he simply behaves himself for his bonuses. The screams and ranting is getting worse. Although we have a start table for good behavior like all the trainers and super nannies say we must have, it is not always as effective as a bribe in the shape of a chocolate. Like I said, the boy has an improving understanding of numbers, calculating his chances for earning a chocolate bar in exchange for not over stretching my nerves, is becoming a refined skill.
Jonathan is probably very good with numbers, the psychologist who works in his kindergarten (standard service in Israel) says he is very smart, even a bit higher than average for his age, and he shows a string affinity to numbers. I always knew he likes numbers, he likes to count, shows and recognizes the digits, wants to know what number is each house we pass in the street is etc.
Recently, however, he is showing a more abstract understanding of amounts. We were watching the television together, when a commercial for children cereal was running. This particular advert was for a chocolate flavor type. The over sweet breakfast is presented as full of vitamins and tasty health for kids, offering simplicity and relaxation for parents. Jonathan, who loves TV commercials and loves the colorful products shown in them even more, was immediately enthusiastic and he pointed at the cereal and screams “I love this!” in delight. I took the role of educational mom and explained to him that this cereal contains way too much sugar and chocolate, thus unhealthy. The boy’s simple solution to my plight was stated directly, “then all we need to do is serve just a bit” said he. One must agree that smaller portions do indeed reduce the amount of sugars, no?
Jonathan decided to bring me a gift. He found a pink business card in the street with lovely red lips graphics on it. He picked it up and told his father that he is bringing mommy a kiss! Once he got home, he delivered the card to me with delight and prided himself on bringing me a kiss that he found for me a sweet gesture indeed, my heart melted accordingly. What made it more memorable is that the card contained an advert for escorting services…thank G_d the boy still does not read…and the graphics was really lovely, the card was well designed, and I am keeping it, so I can show it to Jonathan and tell him the story when he is older and more understanding of the world.
Jonathan just does not want to do anything he should do! He does not want to get up in the morning (understandable, its so warm in the bed covers…) He does not want to get dressed, brush his teeth, go to kindergarten…and in the evening it’s the same for taking a bath or even going out to the garden. Anything that interferes with his know discovery of the computer (cool games and you can also watch children’s videos…) is rejected! Jonathan’s parents are being bothersome and order him around – after all one must take care of daily rituals like eating and hygiene, and so the computer must wait…
The result of the fact that I must compete with the computer for Jonathan’s attention is that he screams and wails every time I ask him to do things. He drags himself on the floor and complains of pains in his stomach. Then he says he cannot stand. To add some effect to his performance he begins to make choking sounds and sticks his tongue out. Recently he added a medical impossibility to his arsenal – he complains that his legs are broken and his head is broken, then he forgets himself and minute later he is standing up, happy as can be…I told him I had no idea one can walk on broken legs, and with a broken head. The negotiations between us have a few varieties; one of his methods is to let me know that I should do whatever it is he should be doing (you pick up the toys mommy, you bring the clothes, you turn off the TV), this tactic usually results in my declaration that we should do it together, and then he will maybe put away two toys and I will parallel be stowing an entire drawer full...
Another version is an exchange – if he picks up the toys he can then have a chocolate. Recently my demand from his is that he simply behaves himself for his bonuses. The screams and ranting is getting worse. Although we have a start table for good behavior like all the trainers and super nannies say we must have, it is not always as effective as a bribe in the shape of a chocolate. Like I said, the boy has an improving understanding of numbers, calculating his chances for earning a chocolate bar in exchange for not over stretching my nerves, is becoming a refined skill.
Sunday, June 19, 2011
DYI-Do it yourself
do it yourself is not just a fashion supported by Ikea sprouting new branches everywhere, it is a staple in every toddlers arsenal of “I am all grown now”. At the age of 3.5 years, Jonathan is clearly in the “why” stage. Everything must be questioned, every trigger reacted upon and every task performed independently.
The words “I can do it!” or “Me alone!” or “by myself!” are probably the phrases I hear most often in recent weeks. Jonathan has declared that he is a bog boy and that he can do everything himself. This results in many frustrating moments. First he is frustrated if I try to help or do something for him, then he tried it alone and gets frustrated and wails if it does not work out. Regardless, Jonathan is indeed becoming more adept in conducting daily tasks.
He wants me to watch as he gets dressed and he can indeed dress alone, which the exception of putting on his socks and his shoes. He manages his “Spider man” “Crocks” sandals however very well.
He wants to pour his own soft drink and usually gets the job done neatly without too much spilling. In fact the only serious spilling occurs if I try to help...
Cutting his food is the next challenge (he is only allowed to cut soft foods with a spreading butter knife). Spreading chocolate on his sliced bread is a task already conquered.
He likes to think that he knows and that he can help. But when it does not suit him to do so, its always nice to be able to lean on mommy again. Thus when he was tired the other day after returning from the playground (mommy watch me climb...yaaaa....uuuhhh.... do not fall...be careful sweety) on a warm afternoon, it was cool to ride piggyback on mommy (the only way I can still carry him – he weighs almost 20 Kgs). “Only you” is a phrase I have also heard often enough recently, and it signals Jonathan return to toddler-hood and dependence on my assistance. It is mostly used for tasks he does not are to complete (like tidying up his toys, or putting his shoes in their place).
The compromise between “me alone”and “only you” is probably “its difficult for me” - this declaration signals that he is trying to complete a task but not getting it right – thus asking for my help at the last minute. “Its difficult for me” has become music to my ears – ah, he still needs me after all! I wonder already when he will cease to need my help, and he is just 3.5 years old! Life is so shirt and he is growing up sooo fast – what will I think when he is a teenager and no longer gives me the time of day? Another favourite of mine is “together” - wanting to do something together with me, such bliss!
Just the other day, Jonathan saw a self made video of me singing. Seeing me on the computer screen caught his attention and he requested to see mommy again and again on the screen. By the time his enthusiasm reduced, he already got the tune of the recorded song and yesterday he asked me to sing it for him and then “together” - he wanted to sing it with me. I naturally complied! The boy id a musical prodigy! He sang long before he could talk and his love of music has not dyed down now that he is able to express himself in speech. He loves to sing together with me and we usually sing children's songs and stuff from his DVD's – but this time he wanted the song from the Video, which is a traditional Hebrew text and not created for children – Ah! My heart rejoiced a the request There is hope for the INTERNET generation to which my son belongs – they will be connoisseurs of culture yet! As long as mommy can sing it right!
The words “I can do it!” or “Me alone!” or “by myself!” are probably the phrases I hear most often in recent weeks. Jonathan has declared that he is a bog boy and that he can do everything himself. This results in many frustrating moments. First he is frustrated if I try to help or do something for him, then he tried it alone and gets frustrated and wails if it does not work out. Regardless, Jonathan is indeed becoming more adept in conducting daily tasks.
He wants me to watch as he gets dressed and he can indeed dress alone, which the exception of putting on his socks and his shoes. He manages his “Spider man” “Crocks” sandals however very well.
He wants to pour his own soft drink and usually gets the job done neatly without too much spilling. In fact the only serious spilling occurs if I try to help...
Cutting his food is the next challenge (he is only allowed to cut soft foods with a spreading butter knife). Spreading chocolate on his sliced bread is a task already conquered.
He likes to think that he knows and that he can help. But when it does not suit him to do so, its always nice to be able to lean on mommy again. Thus when he was tired the other day after returning from the playground (mommy watch me climb...yaaaa....uuuhhh.... do not fall...be careful sweety) on a warm afternoon, it was cool to ride piggyback on mommy (the only way I can still carry him – he weighs almost 20 Kgs). “Only you” is a phrase I have also heard often enough recently, and it signals Jonathan return to toddler-hood and dependence on my assistance. It is mostly used for tasks he does not are to complete (like tidying up his toys, or putting his shoes in their place).
The compromise between “me alone”and “only you” is probably “its difficult for me” - this declaration signals that he is trying to complete a task but not getting it right – thus asking for my help at the last minute. “Its difficult for me” has become music to my ears – ah, he still needs me after all! I wonder already when he will cease to need my help, and he is just 3.5 years old! Life is so shirt and he is growing up sooo fast – what will I think when he is a teenager and no longer gives me the time of day? Another favourite of mine is “together” - wanting to do something together with me, such bliss!
Just the other day, Jonathan saw a self made video of me singing. Seeing me on the computer screen caught his attention and he requested to see mommy again and again on the screen. By the time his enthusiasm reduced, he already got the tune of the recorded song and yesterday he asked me to sing it for him and then “together” - he wanted to sing it with me. I naturally complied! The boy id a musical prodigy! He sang long before he could talk and his love of music has not dyed down now that he is able to express himself in speech. He loves to sing together with me and we usually sing children's songs and stuff from his DVD's – but this time he wanted the song from the Video, which is a traditional Hebrew text and not created for children – Ah! My heart rejoiced a the request There is hope for the INTERNET generation to which my son belongs – they will be connoisseurs of culture yet! As long as mommy can sing it right!
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