(Hayden sat down to do some worky yesterday and yes, created this post. He only got as far as the title, but I’m pretty impressed. I’ll make a blogger out of him yet!)
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Month: May 2008
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How children can show appreciation
Today we’ll pick up where we left off with Elder M. Russell Ballard’s talk “Daughters of God,” about the eternal importance of motherhood. Last time, he talked about gaining appreciation for the work of motherhood and its eternal importance, finding success in motherhood, reducing pressure on ourselves and enjoying our families and receiving support from our husbands.
Today we’ll get to look at his thoughts on what children can do to show their support for their mothers. As he warned us, some of these answers are very obvious, but I’ll bet that most of our children could use the reminder. Plus, having this come from a source other than their mother is always nice reinforcement.
The third question: What can children, even young children, do? Now, you children, please listen to me because there are some simple things you can do to help your mother.
You can pick up your toys when you are finished playing with them, and when you get a little older, you can make your bed, help with the dishes, and do other chores—without being asked.
You can say thank you more often when you finish a nice meal, when a story is read to you at bedtime, or when clean clothes are put in your drawers.
Most of all, you can put your arms around your mother often and tell her you love her.
And that moment, especially when it comes unbidden and at a time when our children might not know that we need it, is one of the simple joys of motherhood.
Elder Ballard’s final question is what our church can do for mothers. I figure that most of my readers aren’t actually members of our church, but if you’re interested in his answer, feel free to read the conclusion of his talk, “Daughters of God.”
The Haydicon and the dictionary of Haydenese continue to grow—and change. As he learns new words and sounds, he grows out of some of his old “baby talk,” and it’s sad to see it go. For example, “nanee” (candy) is slowly becoming “tanee” (which is a little strange, since he can pronounce a c/k sound, but only does for certain words).
Here are some of his latest Haydenisms:
turkey i’ saw (“Turkey in the Straw,” the song the ice cream truck plays)
yedder (letter, by extension, anything that is rectangular)
yunt/yunch (lunch, namely, a sandwich)
Whissers (Whiskers, the cat)
dasses (glasses)
tontack (this morning he had to put in his ‘tontacks’ This involved fiddling with his fingers, then nearly touching his eyes.)
dama (pajamas)
dip dip (zip zip; not to be confused with “dip dip dip,” ranch dressing)
fum? (I wonder who it’s from, always in conjunction with a letter)
sum (thumb)
hrends (friends, who the letter is from)
hridge (fridge)
dum (drum)
pain (plane)
owie (a hangnail/snag on my nail/broken nail, or regular owies)
tain (train)
tassel (castle)
belt (belt or bell)
fah me (follow me)
sose (close)
tick (kick; how we turn out the lights before bed)
winkle sar (twinkle star, and yes, that is its “proper” name)
tissies (kisses)
toas’ (toast)
toesies (toes)
tanee (candy, evolved from “nanee,” though the two are currently in what we linguists call “free variation” (he uses them both))
tandle/tannel (candle, this is evolved from “nandle/nannel/nanu”)
tout (cut)
messy? (What’s missing?)
nunners (another)
nummer (number)
gedder (together)
ay yub it (“I love it!”)
pug (plug, usually as “puggit”)
hrink (drink)
sert (shirt)
sorts (shorts)
pats (pants)
c’ock (clock, especially cute when someone asks him a question about time, since he knows to mention the clock)
wight! (Usually repeating whatever you’ve just said, such as “C’ock, wight!” in a very encouraging tone)
yewwow (all colors)
geen (second guess for all colors)
hware (square)
seerkle (circle)
pizza (triangle. And pizza.)
I hate making these lists because I know that I’ll always forget something. Most days I just wish we had a camera on the child all the time, so finally everyone in the world could understand what an adorable little boy he is—and especially his adult imitation. It’s getting pretty good!
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Move over, Daddy
As I’ve mentioned before (probably several times), Hayden is a very particular, meticulous little guy. Naturally, he was deeply disturbed to discover that one of the fluorescent bulbs in our kitchen had given up the ghost argon.
Every time we turned on the lights, every time he looked up at them (and this light is visible from the kitchen, living room, family room and dining room, so this was a lot), Hayden informed me anew “Night! Night! B’oken! B’ake it!” (Light! Light! Broken! Break it!, for those who don’t speak Haydenese).
If you’ve ever had a two-year-old, you know—this can get old very quickly. Finally, I told Hayden a week ago that Daddy would fix it soon. This placated him for a while, though he would often remind me “Daddy pits it.”
After four or five days, though, this excuse began to wear thin with Hayden. This week, when I told him Daddy would fix it soon, he looked at me. “Mommy pits it,” he nodded solemnly.
Apparently the kid knows who gets things done 😉 .
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How can husbands support their wives
Today we’ll pick up where we left off with Elder M. Russell Ballard’s talk “Daughters of God,” about the eternal importance of motherhood. Last time, he talked about gaining appreciation for the work of motherhood and its eternal importance, finding success in motherhood and reducing pressure on ourselves and enjoying our families.
Today we’ll look at what husbands can do to better support their wives. Sadly, these answers are not as extensive as the answers to the previous question, but they’re still invaluable.
The second question: What more can a husband do to support his wife, the mother of their children?
I know you’re all looking forward to these answers perhaps even moreso than you did the answers to his last question. (And you’re probably thinking, Couldn’t you have done this before Mother’s Day?)
First, show extra appreciation and give more validation for what your wife does every day. Notice things and say thank you—often. Schedule some evenings together, just the two of you.
Date night! Date night! And no, watching television together after the kids go to bed doesn’t count.
Second, have a regular time to talk with your wife about each child’s needs and what you can do to help.
This shows us that you notice things happening in our family and specifically the problems and needs each of our children have. It shows us that we’re not the only ones who see and care about our children. It shows us that you take your role as a father, an equal partner in raising our children, seriously. We like it 😉 .
Third, give your wife a “day away” now and then. Just take over the household and give your wife a break from her daily responsibilities. Taking over for a while will greatly enhance your appreciation of what your wife does. You may do a lot of lifting, twisting, and bending!
Couldn’t say it better!
Fourth, come home from work and take an active role with your family. Don’t put work, friends, or sports ahead of listening to, playing with, and teaching your children.
I remember an old column by advice columnist Carolyn Hax where, essentially, a man wrote in asking how to help his wife or girlfriend understand why he needed to go to a bar after work for a couple hours to decompress or escape before coming home. Naturally, his SO felt neglected and like he was trying to escape from their family. Carolyn basically asked him what was so terrible at home that he couldn’t stand to go there straight after work (and this underlying issue was what really needed to be addressed). This is how it can make us feel if you consistently put these other activities ahead of us.
This doesn’t mean that you can’t have a job, friends or other interests. But it does mean your family deserves at least the same amount of demonstrated attention and devotion that your other interests receive.
Doing these four things really isn’t asking much of husbands (I think). But they can mean a lot to us as wives and mothers. Any other suggestions?
Next time: What can our kids do?