Parenting Moments To Make You Giggle
plus some printables for pretend-school
Hello! This week I wanted to share something a bit light-hearted with a thankful reflection at the end. If you have kids in your life in any context, you know they’re weird and fun. I spend my days giggling/sighing at the antics of my kids ages 11, 9, 7, 5, and 3, so this post is kind of a celebration of children.
But before I begin, here are some printables I made so your little ones can pretend-school at home with their siblings, dolls, stuffed animals, or you!
All I did was tell my seven-year-old that the pages were in the printer, and she went to work setting up a little school. She even made barbells for the gym out of Nerf darts. I hope your kiddos enjoy, too.
Onward to some silly things my kids have done the past couple weeks!
My three-year-old strongly requests that I hold his hand until he falls asleep. Some might say that’s being spoiled. But I actually remember being three and strongly requesting that my mom held my hand to help me fall asleep. I love that she did that for me. It meant a lot.
What I didn’t make my mom do, however, was tell me stories of times she broke her bones. My 3-year-old prefers the storytelling genre of scary nonfiction. Since I’ve already told the stories of all my broken bones a bunch of times, this week I started sharing the legends of how he and each of his siblings were born. Yep. We’ll see how this plays out trauma-wise as he gets older.
Oh, and last night when I put my five-year-old to bed, she gave me a penny and said “Here’s a tip.” I like it. People tasked with making children go to sleep do deserve tips.
The other day my nine-year-old told me she’s starting a new club and requested my help with some very specific AI art and a logo.
Introducing…her new club…Chakra Rat.
Where do they come up with this stuff? When homeschool moms buy laser printers or set up a Canva account, I don’t think they ever plan on using it for projects such as these.
My seven-year-old was flipping through a cookbook with me, taking pictures of recipes we like before the library needs the book back. What I also found on my camera roll were many pictures of the cookbook’s author, Jamie Oliver. She dreamily referred to him as “my sweetie, my love.” I asked her what she liked about him and she said “lip texture.” Umm. Alrighty.
Potty training isn’t a short process but I always forget this: even once your kid ditches the diapers, you are still a bathroom attendant for a year or so. At least that’s been the case with my extroverted kids. They need company every single time and sometimes it takes awhile. So my husband put a chair for us in the bathroom, and it’s even more of a bulky obstruction in a tiny space than you’re imagining, but, boy, does it make all those hand-holding sessions while the toddler uses the potty feel more comfortable.
I should put a chair in the grownup bathroom, too. Our 98-year-old house doesn’t have working locks, so it’s not uncommon for my three-year-old to waltz in and say, “Can we just, like, hang out?” at a time when I would really prefer not to.
I’ve always only been mildly feminine (lol) and I always thought girly-girls were vain and shallow. One of my daughters—the girliest of the girlies—has exploded my judgmental categories. She is thoughtful, kind, confident, thoroughly sweet, and empathetic to a fault…and also regularly covered in tasteful amounts of makeup and thoughtfully curated outfits from head to toe. She got a mannequin styling head for her sixth birthday, and it never fails to creep me out as I see it standing there, a lone head on a spike with dead eyes, like an impaled warrior meant to serve as a warning. And yes, it’s wearing a squirrel-skin cap that my husband made in high school.
Have I mentioned we have pet rats? They’re brilliant, affectionate, and surprisingly hygienic pets. Here’s the catch: I know they’re famous for breeding, but I wasn’t prepared for how…prolifically…they mate. First, the mama rat had a litter of three pups, which felt manageable. Six weeks later, she surprised us with a fresh litter of fourteen. We soon separated her from the males, but by then she was apparently already pregnant again because six weeks later, she and her daughter from the first litter gave birth on the same day to a combined new litter of seventeen. It’s been a learning curve. But my oh my, the kids are so tender and sweet with them. They adore their rats.
Also, does anyone want a dozen or so?
When your kids are babies, it’s challenging to find interests you have in common. But, boy, does it get better. I recently introduced them all to Phineas and Ferb, which is the funniest cartoon in history. My oldest ones and I sometimes even watch Psych together after the littles are in bed. I love hearing my kids repeat the same jokes and catchphrases that my brother and I giggled over when we were kids and teens.
Here’s a chaotic screenshot from when my kids and I made a music video to the Phineas and Ferb song “Backyard Beach.”
But let me tell you, Planet Earth is a film that will make children rowdier than any other. My kids have been watching the nature documentary in the minivan on long drives and assigning their own identities to each of the animals. “That one’s Evey.” “Aww, Lucy and Piper are snuggling.” “AH! Stephen just ATE Isaiah!” It cracks me up to hear them say “Guys, this isn’t going to end well!” and “Everybody, look!”
To hear one of my own offspring refer to my other offspring as “Guys” and “Everybody” warms my heart in a special way I never saw coming.
Not pictured are the hard times, like when I threw my pencil in frustration while homeschooling and both me and my child/student cried. Also not pictured are the sweetest times of snuggling while reading together or getting to receive really wise advice from my oldest kid.
But I share these silly stories because I hope they make you smile. If you have little ones at home and you wonder if you’ll ever just get to hang out with your kids, that time is coming! Pour your love into them and don’t treat them as if they’re annoying. Let them overhear you telling your friends about how much you like them.
Life with kids is chaotic and strange and hard and heart-breaking but it’s also full of joy and growth and laughter and love. I hope you get to enjoy your kids this week.
Warmly,
Hope from Family Scripts
Sign me up for Chakra Rat 😂
my favorite is the cookbook author's "lip texture."