child psych 201

Almost eight years into this parenting thing, and I'm happy to say that I'm learning.

Audrey was really tired tonight, so I took her upstairs to put her to bed early. She was fine until I started to carry her toward her crib. "Ella and Lauren?" She was frowning. "Downstayuz? Downstayuz!"

"They're coming to bed in a few minutes, Audrey," I told her, "but you get . . . a headstart."

"Headstot?" she asked, now beaming. "Me? Headstot? YAY!"

Two Twinkle Twinkle Little Stars and an "ABCDEFG song" later she closed her eyes and went to sleep, happy as could be.

Yay.

TLC

Ella wasn't feeling well today and stayed home from school. She rested in bed most of the morning, then brought me a piece of paper, rolled up and tied with ribbon. "What's this?"

"My lunch order," she said quietly, then turned and went upstairs.

I opened the scroll:

oster crackers

red gater ade

a good book

I love that girl.

pure gold

Today Lauren brought home her St. Patrick's Day essay, "My Pot of Gold."

It reads:

I fawd a pot uv Gold udr my beb. it was big. I was shoct. I bot ckade. it was grat! I bot a tv foe the cklas room. I saw a nackid lepprchon. I olso saw a mucke that ws nackid. I cootit blev it.

As she read it to me:

I found a pot of gold under my bed. It was big. I was shocked. I bought candy. It was great! I bought a tv for the classroom. I saw a naked leprechaun. I also saw a monkey that was naked. I couldn't believe it.