Friday, February 10, 2012

Back in the olden days . . .

. . . they didn’t wear shoes like that mommy, so you can’t wear them today either”.  My response . . . “back in the olden days children were seen and not heard and their parents could beat them with sticks for misbehaving; should we go back to the olden days, or can I wear my shoes?!”
Today, the Ego (the second grade middle child) had an Ellis Island re-enactment where the parents served as inspectors and doctors while the kids were immigrants coming through Ellis Island in 1892. 
This was an incredible experience, and I even got teary-eyed watching the kids go through.  This was one of my stay at home mommy highlights and I’m so glad I volunteered to be the baggage room inspector!
But, as with everything in this household, it was not without some lessons learned:
1)      This situation will be the perfect opportunity for your sweatpants wearing daughter to volunteer for a role as "Randolph".  And, she will take it so seriously that she will even pull out suspenders to make her costume look more real.  Girlfriend is killing me!!!


This is one of those photos where when she's 16 she'll never forgive me for letting her leave the house like this, to say nothing of documenting it and sharing it with the world - my kids are going to put me in a nursing home at their first chance, aren't they?!

2)      When you tell your sweatpants wearing child that she is not allowed to turn her pants inside out so as to hide the stains, but rather she must put on new clean pants, make sure you actually double check to ensure that she doesn’t walk out of the house with the dirty pants turned inside out . . . right in front of your nose.  That little f*&#er walked right past me and I was so frazzled getting everyone else out the door that I didn’t even notice!!  SH*T!  I should have told the medical inspectors to detain her!
3)      Even when you’re supposed to be serious and stern, you won’t be able to fight the urge to want to give your baby a hug and a kiss as they come through inspection.  Of course, you could get lucky like I did and have your child completely ignore you and pretend you weren’t there so that she doesn’t break character and then you don’t have to make eye contact!!  I’m not even sure she did it on purpose, but girlfriend was on a mission . . . either that, or she wanted to get by me quickly so I didn’t pull her @$& out of line and make her turn her pants right side out!!!

The Ego made me practice my stern face and, of course, the Superego had to get in on the act!!
As I said, this was a fantastic experience for me and for the kids and my hat’s off to the 2nd grade team at the girls’ school for an incredible job well done! 

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