Some time ago a group of local mums decided to form a babysitting circle. I joined because I thought I should be involved but the thought of leaving my son with someone filled me with dread. Not because I didn't want anyone looking after my 'precious baby' but because, quite frankly, he's a nightmare at the best of times let alone at bedtime. This evening alone it was 9.30pm before he finally slept - and the whole process started at 6.30pm!!
One of my close friends was in the circle and we just continued to look after each other's children for a few hours of an afternoon. However, she recently moved away and I've been busy with work and needed a few hours without a screaming toddler. My son has loved it! On Wednesday he went to a mother and baby group and got to play with all the baby toys (suddenly they seem more interesting when you haven't seen them for a while). Today he went to a farm - walked the dog, collected eggs from the chickens, picked some rhubarb and got a close up view of a tractor. I even got to take some rhubarb and eggs home - now that's what I call good service!
I now need to babysit a bit more to build up my tokens (hopefully I'll get the babies who nap for most of the time).
And my son's behaviour? He was a charmer to the end - when asked if he'd like to sit in the cab of the tractor he said 'No thanks - I have a real one at home'.
Friday, 18 April 2008
Tuesday, 1 April 2008
I want to win!
It has recently been drawn to my attention that I have become a competitive mum. I'm not proud of it, slightly embarrassed really, and I will try my hardest to shake this tendency that has recently come to the fore.
It all started with a small note pinned to the door at nursery school a couple of Monday's ago. It announced that there would be an Easter bonnet competition on Thursday. As I work Tuesdays so that left Wednesday to create something - as from the moment I read that note I WANTED MY CHILD TO WIN.
Now I am no great artist but I thought we did a pretty good job. I measured my son's head and decided we didn't have time to trail round charity shops for an old hat to decorate, so we made A TOP HAT. I patiently let my son stick on glitter and tissue flowers and pour 5 tubes of glitter glue over the paper - with a few stylistic tweaks from mum it looked perfectly like the work of a 3 year old.
There was a slight catastrophe - despite my measuring it didn't fit and he refused to wear it but after a major tantrum (mine) and a chocolate egg (for him) we were both proud and happy with the result and he wore it to nursery the next day.
Unfortunately when I collected him the judging hadn't been done and we had to leave it there. Because of the bank holiday it would be more than a week before we saw it again. I collected it this week to discover that it had been crushed and half of the decorations had been pulled off. Worse still he hadn't won 'there were all good but there could only be one winner' (rubbish they are 3 year olds and could all win). Then came my realization of my competitive mum status - I almost demanded photographic evidence that the winner's was better than my son's!
I think it has rubbed off though - my son got his 5m swimming badge today while screaming 'I want to win, I want to win!'
It all started with a small note pinned to the door at nursery school a couple of Monday's ago. It announced that there would be an Easter bonnet competition on Thursday. As I work Tuesdays so that left Wednesday to create something - as from the moment I read that note I WANTED MY CHILD TO WIN.
Now I am no great artist but I thought we did a pretty good job. I measured my son's head and decided we didn't have time to trail round charity shops for an old hat to decorate, so we made A TOP HAT. I patiently let my son stick on glitter and tissue flowers and pour 5 tubes of glitter glue over the paper - with a few stylistic tweaks from mum it looked perfectly like the work of a 3 year old.
There was a slight catastrophe - despite my measuring it didn't fit and he refused to wear it but after a major tantrum (mine) and a chocolate egg (for him) we were both proud and happy with the result and he wore it to nursery the next day.
Unfortunately when I collected him the judging hadn't been done and we had to leave it there. Because of the bank holiday it would be more than a week before we saw it again. I collected it this week to discover that it had been crushed and half of the decorations had been pulled off. Worse still he hadn't won 'there were all good but there could only be one winner' (rubbish they are 3 year olds and could all win). Then came my realization of my competitive mum status - I almost demanded photographic evidence that the winner's was better than my son's!
I think it has rubbed off though - my son got his 5m swimming badge today while screaming 'I want to win, I want to win!'
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