One of the drawbacks to having an only child is that
there is no easy playmate on which to palm them off when you need to get things
done, or are just bored with listening to them. I enjoy spending time with
Monkey, but equally sometimes I need a break and so does he. Normally we
achieve this during periods at daycare, but we have spent the last two weeks on
term break so no activities for us.
Instead, despite organising numerous playdates, I have
spent much of the last fortnight hearing “Mommy Watch This” or variations on
this theme.
I get called to “watch this” for many reasons. Sometimes
it is to see the latest Lego creation, sometimes to see part of a television show;
sometimes it is to watch Monkey do a funny dance. At weekends, I get some
respite when the refrain changes to “Daddy Watch This” which is great, or “Mommy
and Daddy Both Watch This” which is not so great, but at least I get to share
the load.
Usually the phrase is Mommy Watch This, but sometimes it
changes. Here are a few of my other favourites.
“Mommy Help”:
This one at least makes me feel useful. Normally I am called for some menial task – most recently taking small pieces of Lego apart because I have longer nails – but occasionally I am entrusted with a more important job.“Mommy (followed by a long pause)”
This is one of my
least favorites because you never quite know what is coming next. It could be
something really good like “Mommy come here I want to give you a great big hug”
or something terrible like “Mommy come here I’ve just thrown my juice all over
the new television”.
“Mommy Look At What I’ve Done”
Another scary phrase, the
scariness of which is dictated often by where Monkey is when he says it. If he’s
next to the Lego or the crayons, I’m probably in store for a viewing of his
latest artistic creation. If he is calling from the toilet, I’m probably in to
view a creation of a whole different kind, one that only nearly five-year-old
boys can be proud of.
And finally my favorite:
“Mommy I Love You”
What Mom
doesn’t feel good when they hear this from their child?
I spent large amounts of time when Monkey was a baby talking to him, reading to him and generally doing all those things you are meant to do to encourage your baby to talk. Now I spend large amounts of time wishing he’d just be quiet for a little while.
Tell me, if he had a sibling would it be better?Would they talk to each other and show each other things or would I just get “Mommy Watch This” in stereo followed by the sounds of them beating each other up?
What phrases do your children utter that grate on your nerves?
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Proud Mommy Moments - The Power of 3
Five Things I Love About my Son - The Power of 3