Well, since I've been a neglectful blogger, I thought I would return to my blogging ways with one that would catch your attention. A couple of weeks ago, I was reminded of the sweet innocence of our children...and how quickly it can be taken away.
One of the things we try and do as a family each week is make a trip to the gym. The local LA Fitness is great for us because it offers so much for mom and dad, the kids love going there, and it isn't near as crowded as the one in Keller! (Sorry Jenna). Anyway, a couple of weeks ago, Cloe and I were visiting in my office after school, preparing for a trip to the gym. She was telling me that she hoped a certain gym-friend, we'll call her Penelope, was going to be there. She LOVED playing with Penelope because they had so much fun together. That's good, because it helps mom and dad go if we know the kiddos are having a good time in the Kids Club.
Well, as the conversation went on, Cloe mentioned that, sometimes, Penelope wants her to do things that are gross (dad's attention is piqued here). I responded, "How so?" Our daughter went on to say that sometimes Penelope, who, from this point on will be referred to as "P", wants her to pretend to do things, like the "F" word. [At this point I had a major Matrix-moment where the whole world slows down and you hear nothing but your heart beating as the room slowly spins around you. Thoughts flooded my mind of horrible things being imposed upon my little girl in the tunnels of the once-happy-place Kid's Club. I think you parents can relate.] WITHOUT breaking composure, I calmly asked, "What kinds of things do you do when she asks you to play that way?" "Oh, you know, we pretend to throw up and do the thing that I'm not supposed to say that starts with an "f" and ends with "art"."
Have you ever had a moment when you felt like the world had just been taken off your shoulders? I had that moment then--it was nice. In the end, we both agreed that P's friendship was not worth the cost of compromising proper behavior. And, in the end, innocence was saved for at least one more day.
2 comments:
That's funny!! Dylan was taught the real "F" word in 1st grade along with the appropriate finger gesture. Nothing worse than hearing your sweet boy spew that word out!! He never did it again after we explained that that word was not appropriate.
In our house quite a few years ago, the kids kept talking about the "S" word--you know, "s" followed by "hut up!"
Glad to find your blog thanks to Jenna! We miss y'all, and it's great to see how big your kids are getting to be.
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