MY LITTLE ONES KNOW ME INCREDIBLY WELL

“My children don’t remember what they ate for dinner, but they remember who I am”

Do you know that you mean everything to your children?

I’m a hero, a designer, a doctor, a teacher, a psychologist, a dentist, a chef, an artist, and everything else kids expect me to be at any given time. Mom can be a fairy because kids want to play in a magical forest. You can be a princess because they built a castle. In their store, you’re always a customer. I’m never a cashier because my son said: “Mom, you don’t know how to use a cash register.”

How could he even know that?

Lately, I’ve been a guest in a restaurant a lot, and I’ve found that I can’t use my children’s names or nice words like “bąbelku” (my bubble). I have to use the form “Mr.” or “Mrs.” In my daughter’s hairdressing salon, I also have to call her Miss Dora, and believe me, my new hairstyle has nothing to do with my choice. In this children’s salon, the stylist chooses how and what to do with the hair, and you have to pretend to be happy. Same story when I visit my son’s restaurant. He doesn’t care if I want croissants; they serve pizza for breakfast, and you should be happy about that.

How do children perceive the world?

From the very beginning, I’ve loved my children’s curiosity, confidence, and independence. I love their approach to making new friends and having fun together. Their world seems so simple; it’s all about having a good time. Sure, they have their share of unpleasant experiences: toys taken by other kids, scraped knees, spilled drinks, or scattered cornflakes. But they handle them brilliantly. In doing so, they also gain a little insight into real life.

It’s truly amazing how children can imitate professions, personalities, and people. Of course, they primarily imitate us – our parents – and our behavior. My words and behaviors have a huge impact on my young children. All the games we participate in also demonstrate how well they handle different situations. Many times, I didn’t realize my children were listening to me when I ordered coffee, made a doctor’s appointment, or when my husband called the plumber. But then, as we played together, the truth emerged: they were listening and still remembered clearly. They know that Mom pays cash and Dad pays by card. They can recognize my doctor on the street and shout, “Mom, your doctor is across the street.”

How do they even remember such little things?

And if you still think your children don’t listen to you or follow your lead, check out my post about my children coming to Grandma with a lighter in hand and saying, “Dad left his lighter on the balcony because he smokes.” And everyone in the family is hiding the truth because Dad supposedly quit smoking a long time ago.

https://littlepuzzlesandme.com/from-one-year-with-my-children-to-another-few/

Did you know that when children are 3, 4, 5, 6… years old, they believe everything you tell them?

Be prepared and choose your words carefully in conversations with children. My chipmunks catch my every hesitation and then bombard me with a thousand additional questions, just because I didn’t answer right away. These are such Wiz kids that I’m afraid of them. They can also quickly pick up on my emotions, including sadness, stress, nervousness, and joy. This is very dangerous when I play with my daughter, because when I hear:

Mom, don’t you like this hairstyle? That means she noticed my surprised expression in the mirror:

“Of course, I love this hairstyle… There are a lot of clips and elastic bands on one side, fewer on the other. And what do I have in the middle?

Crayons!

Oh, crayons. I love crayons in my hair, too.

Just remember that you don’t always have to praise all hairstyles, but for your own good, either don’t say anything, or if you’re worried about your hair, come up with an alternative game.

I hope it will be a long time before my children stop imitating me, playing with me, listening to me, and telling me unreal stories. I hope we will laugh together forever and enjoy every small moment of their little lives.