Friday, August 13, 2010

What I Say VS. What They Hear

I say, "Come here right now, I mean it!"

They hear, "run to the next aisle, but not before running (basically) over that elderly lady looking at the clocks."

I say, "If you don't eat all your food, then you will have no snack later."

They hear, "Don't eat, I will nag until the woman gives in - she's clearly at the end of her rope."

I say, "If you put your mouth on that mirror one more time, we're leaving. The workers have to clean that!"

They hear, "Lick the mirror."

I say, "Sit right at the table, you're going to spill something!"

They hear, "Sit on knees, place cup at edge of table, knock it over with your elbow - then watch it spill all over the table, on to the chair, and then on to the floor. In that order."

I say, "Because if you put the blanket over your head while you're walking, you will run into the walls."

They hear, "Do it! Running into walls is awesome - the most fun ever!

I say, "I told you 3 times that we are leaving soon - I'm going as fast as I can!"

They hear, "Ask one more time."

I say, "Because we just painted those walls!"

They hear, "walls aren't complete till coloring is finished - scribbling is the new accent color."

I say, "I love you - more than you can ever imagine. One day, when you become a mommy, then you'll understand."

They hear, "She loves us - more than anything. Even when she is tired, frustrated, or stressed, that lady adores us."

I do believe they are hearing that last one correctly, even if I'm not making myself clear on everything else. :)

10 comments:

Sarah said...

oh Kate. Our lives are so similar. Man I wish we lived closer :) In other news, I'm glad to find out that mine aren't the only children who think putting blankets over their heads & walking is great fun! :)

susan said...

Oh Kate..... I read somewhere once 100 years ago when I began parenting and had time to read parenting books!! that if you start a sentence with "don't......" the child forgets the word 'don't' immediately... so you say "don't spill your drink...." and they hear "spill your drink". I don't know that it's completely true... but it's not untrue either.

I read a great sign on the door of my sons school today. I'm going to copy it down & post it on my blog, next week. It was seven things inefficient people do and seven things '........ '{can't remember but it was positive} do!

It was just brilliant. I'm wanting it for my fridge.

I'll get back to you on that one :):)

Elizabeth said...

I am so sure they are hearing that last one every single day.

Amanda said...

What a great post!

Helen said...

LOVE this post! Your kids must hear the same things mine do....

Stopping by from Multiples and More!

Danae said...

Stopping by from M & M. Thanks for the laugh! I now understand why my kids act the way they do. They are hearing things a LOT different from what I've said! :o)

Sarah said...

Here is mine:
Me-If you touch that again I will spank you.
Ella-I can touch this one more time b/c it doesn't hurt or bother me when she spanks me

The Mommy Mambo said...

Oh you know you don't really mean it till you are shouting at the top of your lungs, a blue vein is protruding from your temple, and you're foaming at the mouth, couting to 5, and weilding a open faced palm!
Great post!
Mine have selective hearing too!

becky said...

Haha. Those girls definitely have minds of their own! I can definitely say with certainty that they know you love them to pieces.

Laurel said...

Cute!

Just catching up on a little blog reading. We are on the 20th day of a 5 week Road Trip, and haven't had much internet.

Hope your summer ends well. Our Summer Vacation isn't nearly over ...


Laurel