Stating the Obvious

As Kelan and Lauren get older, I find myself constantly verbalizing dos and don'ts (in addition to a variety of answers to a never ending supply of questions). Sometimes I have to laugh out loud at the things I say or at least recognize that they are absurd to the person who happens to overhear me. I cannot believe some of the phrases I say: Kelan, please do not drag your sister. Kelan, please do not sit on your sister. Kelan, please do not jump on your sister. Lauren, please do not put sticks in your nose. Lauren, please do not stick your hands in the toilet while your are peeing. It truly amazes me that I actually have to state that these actions are unacceptable. I would think that it would be understood. Clearly - yet again - I am mistaken.

Thankfully it is not only me. Today after Kelan's swim lesson, we went into the locker room where you can shower and change. Kelan and his good friend (they take swim lessons together and his mother is a good friend of mine) are playing in the shower together when I overhear, It is not time to play with your penises. How often do you hear that? I start to laugh so I turn away, because if the boys see my reaction, it will only encourage them. How my friend can say this without laughing - and so calmly - is beyond me (she is smiling though). We move away from the shower to the lockers to get the boys dressed. Then I hear her say to her son, please get your finger out of your bum. I lose it. I am laughing so hard. What are you doing? Please stop putting your finger in your bum. She is laughing now too. There is another mother right next to us dressing her mild mannered son who gets up to leave. I am not sure if they were done. We give each other a look and continue laughing. Sometimes you just have to go with it.

The thing is, there is always something that we are addressing with young children. They are learning all the time and it is our job as parents to lead them in the right way. We think we are stating the obvious, when in fact we are teaching them (endlessly) what the obvious is.