Wednesday, March 11, 2009

I Should Really Teach Parenting Classes

Conversation in my house this morning:

Avery: "Can I watch a Dora? Can I watch a Dora? Can I watch a Dora?"

Me (patiently): "Avery, television is a treat. It is something you can watch once in a while, but not every day. It's like a cookie...a cookie is a treat that you can have once in a while, but you can't have one every day. Think of it like that."

Avery (after pausing, to apparently process my brilliant analogy): "Can I have a cookie?"

5 comments:

Ri. Short for Maria. Not pronounced like the bread. said...

You are a much better mother than I. As I'm typing this, my son is watching television and eating a cookie...

Brutalism said...

Ri: Let's not forget that you are tasked with keeping that kid entertained ALL DAY, whereas I am only responsible for a few hours. Trust me...there would definitely be TV and cookies if it was an all day/every day thing...

Dilettard07 said...

Just remember, there's no entertainment like manual labor.

I look forward to having kids. Having a 10-year-old means never having to mow the lawn again.

Brutalism said...

Dilettard07 - No kidding. A wise person once told me to start 'em early by offering sweeping and emptying the dishwasher as rewards. You're not breaking child labor laws when they're not getting paid...that's what I always say.

JenBC said...

Maybe you should tell Avery that tv is like ketchup. You can't expect to enjoy every day when you live in a strange land... or a strange home.