Ok all of us who are parents have stories about how our kid stands out from the rest. Here is the place to brag!
Ok I’ll go first.
My kid is the most charming on the planet.
Exhibit A:
Last winter my husband’s office had Christmas party. It was small–his office isn’t that big–but it was at a hotel and was catered and so on. The president of the company and some folks from offices overseas were there. They had a Power Point presentation about stuff and so on.
Well it was specifically a no-kids party. We tried and tried to find a sitter, and we really wanted to go to the party. Finally it was the day of the party and still no one. The previous year had been the same and Rob just went alone, but it really sucked and I wanted to go pretty badly. So Rob explained the situation to his boss, who said just to go ahead and bring Dominic (who was 7 and in the middle of first grade).
Well not only did Dominic not annoy people, he charmed the pants off of them. He flitted from table to table talking to people. We repeatedly but discreetly asked folks if he was bothering them, and would call him away if he stayed too long… but they’d always say “no it’s ok!”
When it came time to sit down to dinner, he didn’t sit with us. He’d made new friends and ended up sitting at another table (at their invitation!) He colored pictures for lots of people and befriended the CEO. People were seeking out his company and asking him to come sit with them, stealing him away from other tables. He was passed around so much I’m surprised he wasn’t dizzy. People apparently talked about him to Rob for weeks.
Exhibit B:
When Dominic was about 4 we were at an airport waiting for a flight. We had about 30 minutes to kill and so we let Dominic play with a couple of his HotWheels cars in the seating area by the gate.
There was a middle-aged businessman seated nearby and Dominic wanted to say hi. We always let him say hi but tell him to only talk for a minute because we don’t want him to bother people. We also always ask the person if they mind.
So he starts talking to the guy and we ask ‘is he bothering you?’ to which he said no. We chatted for a while and the next time I looked up, Dominic and the businessman were both playing with the HotWheels cars.
MilliCal, our six year old daughter, made a comic book. She asked her mommy, Pepper Mill, how to spell the words she wanted to put in the book.
The book features the Super family – Superman, Superwoman, and Supergirl, fighting against the Boogie Man, Oogala Boogala. These characters are all labeled. Partway through the story, they get an assist from George Washington.
But the best parts are the captions:
**And now, the moment you’ve been waiting for
Kids, don’t try this at home
**
Also, hanging in my office is a picture she drew of a Bombadier Beetle attacking two ants. She heard about how bo,badier beetles could shoot noxious gases out of their bodies, and was utterly fascinated. Her beetle has a big “happy face” – only with a neutral straight line instead of a smile. There are four legs on one side and five on the other, and some fire-like substance is coming out of its back end. One ant, with prominent antennae, has a severely upset look on its face. The other has apparently died, and is lying on its back with its legs in the air. Across the top, MilliCal wrote (with no help from us), what appears to be “PU9009”, and which is apparently supposed to be “P.U. Poop”.
A while back I worked as the marketing coordinator/pr person for an adult day care center. I organized a Fall Carnival for the clients one year with games, a muffin walk (think cake walk for elderly people who couldn’t have cake), clowns, face painting, etc. I brought my oldest son who was 4 at the time with me. Some of our clients were in wheelchairs and some were blind or had some other reason they couldn’t participate in the muffin walk. He spent much of the day doing the muffin walk and giving his prizes to the clients who could participate. Many of the clients had no family and he was the highlight of their day. I was very proud of him to empathize and interact with them so well.
3 year old boy (who makes the transition to 4 year old boy in November) can count to ten, recognize all colors, read individual numbers, knows his right from his left, dresses himself, knows how to identify about 8 letters, can spell his name, and today, after I showed him how to, actually WROTE his name on his own!!! (He does all this by himself. We teach him stuff but don’t push at him and yet everything we tell him sticks.)
2 1/2 year old girl, although very tiny for her age, has an enormous vocabulary that amazes people. She speaks in full clear sentences and favors longer words rather than the shorter terms. For instance in the elevator one day there was a man with a bike, and she said she liked his “bi-kick-le”…we were amazed she knew “bicycle”. She also refuses to use the word band-aid, she prefers bandage. It’s no wonder she’s a talker, her brother never stops!
Her other skill seems to be climbing. She can scale the side of objects using her toes, like a monkey or something. She has no fear. Unfortunately she’s majorly clumsy and falls a lot.
She’s also special in the respect that although she has no fear of getting hurt, she’s incredibly superstitious. She is positive that monsters live in her dresser. They call her name at night. Cinderella on her pillow wants to eat her. Merely being in the same room with a doctor cures her of all ailments.
These are such good stories! I love bragging about my kid.
He’s 9 and he’s swell. His friends’ parents always comment on how sweet and polite he is, and how he looks out for his friends. Two favorites: one of his friends, Michael, invited him to spend the last day of school at movies and playing as an end-of-the-year celebration. When I was talking to the kid’s mom to arrange things, she told me that her son thinks of AJ has his best friend because when the other kids (AJ included - he loves football) were playing football every afternoon, Michael felt left out because he wasn’t very good at football and so he would just sit and play by himself. AJ saw Michael playing alone and from then on would either play with Michael instead of playing football, or would try to include Michael in the game somehow. I can’t tell you how happy that story made me – AJ never told me! And more recently, another friend’s mom told me that AJ stuck up for her son when an older kid started pushing him around. Again, I never would have known had someone else not told me.
He’s also precociously funny. We took three of his friends to see a movie in the park, and two of them started to wrestle on the ground. AJ broke it up, saying, “Girls, girls, you’re both pretty!”
My son, age 10 and a half, is constantly being referred to by everyone as so well behaved.
He sits quietly, even the other night at the librarys program of aromatherapy, an hour and a half, he sat still.
Its probably because he’s never been around other kids, except at school, no one has ever wanted anything to do with us, me either, and I’ve called and tried to get together with people, but enough about us,…
anyway, he behaves really well (at least in public).
He can be seen at my web page http://abbie4ever.tripod.com/index.htm
The other day we were stopped in traffic. My four-year-old son let out a wry chuckle and said “Traffic lights! Doing the same thing over and over, all over town…” and then sighed.
Not particularly brag-worthy, but a fun parenting moment. The other day I was driving my 14-year old son to scouts, and he asked me, "Dad, did you ever have an experience where you liked a girl but didn’t know if she was even aware of your existence?"
Hoo-baby! Little did he know how poorly equipped I am to give advice on such topics. But it was fun talking to him about it. Suggested he had to screw up the courage to say “hi” to her and introduce himself. And to take it slowly. After he makes it so that she knows who he is, he can just exchange pleasantries in the hall while awaiting the right time to see if things should go further. He agreed that even if he got shot down, it would be better than to later look back and regret not having tried.
Yesterday he said he said “hi” near her locker, but she didn’t hear him. So he was about to tap her on her shoulder, when her friends approached and he chickened out. Said he’s gonna jump back into the ring today.
Oh yeah - he challenged the first chair trumpet player. That will take place in a week.
I love bragging! My youngest daughter starting talking at 8 months, and was speaking complete sentences by 14 months. She is an accomplished artist who has already had her work shown at an exhibit at the school board. My oldest daughter started in the school band 2 years ago, with no musical experience. She now plays flute, piccolo, sax and piano! I have NO idea where these talents come from! I played the flute (badly) in my school band, and my husband is tone deaf. Also, neither of us can draw a straight line!
My 10 year old spent all day last Friday taking care of her poor mama. I had the 'flu, and she brought me soup and toast in bed, kept my ginger ale filled up, rubbed my forehead, and read to me. She is the sweetest, most caring little girl in the whole world.
She was a little slow on the talking thing but now that she’s started she won’t stop. She knows all of her colors and some of her numbers and can count to eight. The only letters she knows are the ones in her name which she will have me write until my hand falls off.
She’s a really good natured kid and people are amazed at how well she behaves for a 2 year old. (Most people think she’s much older than 2 when they first see her because she’s 38 inches tall already) The funniest thing she does (to us) is lately when we go someplace and it is day but come outside at night she will tell us ‘Uh-Oh sky black!’ Up until this I didn’t realize she was paying attention!
She’s also an escape artist and has mastered all the doors and locks so we had to install very high locks! I don’t need her outside at 2:00am!
I was sick a while back… gross bad sick like throwing up. I was on the couch in the evening feeling like utter crap and Dominic came in and asked me what he could do to make me feel better.
“I’m sorry, sweetie, there really isn’t anything you can do”
At this he burst into tears and ran upstairs.
During the same illness, I was on the couch and he brought over…it was either a bucket or a little trash can… anyway he told me that it was in case I needed to throw up. Then he said–and this is the amazing part–that if I threw up, he’d come empty it and rinse it out for me. HE WAS SEVEN!! Offering to clean my barf bucket!
Another time I was taking a nap when he came up the stairs with a muffin and a glass of orange juice. He had decided I needed a snack. I asked him where he got the muffin “Nick and Josh’s mom gave me two muffins today”…
My oldest is in first grade and has decided he like soccer. The coach rotated him into the goal and he Shined (he’s taller than the other kids). Not a single goal got past him. (he was upset that his team lost…and I learned later it was because they rotated him out so someone else could play goalie)
My youngest, who just turned 1, picks up & throws balls straight ahead. Always (no wild throws). Additionally he has some good logic talents:
He hates being confined, but there are times we have to put him in his gated play area to just ‘get things done’. Well, I left him alone in there for 15 minutes to do some things, and when I came back, he had stacked his toys in a tier and had climbed out of the area. he also managed to pull himself up on to the window seat and start playing with the cases of my older son’s Gamecube games. When he saw me, he smiled & waved ‘bye-bye’. And I swear I could hear the theme from ‘The Great Escape’ in the background…
That is exactly what my 8-yr old boy does for me when I’m not feeling well! And, he’s the star of his basketball team, and loves animals - what a cool little man. Our 6-yr old boy is the out-there wild child, and I think he’ll either be President or a hoodlum (jokes invited).
Hope you’re feeling better, Maureen…
My oldest boy is very close to his grandparents. One night my Mom and I were talking and she was so stressed out about taking care of my Grandma (who is 88 and lives with my parents) and running a pizza place and keeping my Dad happy that she broke down in tears. My son went up to her and told her “It’s ok Grandma. Abuelita (spanish for Grandma) is old and she is going to die and you have to understand that.” He’s 7.
I have twins- 4 year old boy and girl. The girl is so sweet and charming- I’m worried about her teenage years. Apparently she has a boyfriend in preschool that gives her rides on the back of his tricycle.
My 4 y/o boy has the most beautiful smile and gentlest touch. He is an amazing swimmer- taught himself to swim without floaties this summer by never giving up and constanly challenging himself to swim further each time he ventured from the steps of the pool. Swimming gives him so much joy. He is an autistic child so anytime he does happen to speak a word it is utter happiness for his parents.
Oh romance. Dominic has a girlfriend, though at the moment that’s a big secret. They want everyone to think they broke up, but they didn’t really. They’re going to get married when they grow up. They’ve been a hot item for almost 2 years now.
Dominic told me “we still love each other but it’s a secret.”
