Post Punk Kitchen Forum

The boy just sat through all of The Hobbit, quietly and politely. He asked when he had to go to the bathroom. When he wanted to talk (which wasn't much) he whispered. He stayed in his seat. He watched the movie. I am so proud.

WOW. i want to take tzipi so bad because how else am i going to get to see it. but she's a bit younger and i don't know if she'd behave as well.

We got a babysitter. Over a hundred bucks to see a movie! Sigh.

We left the baby with my parents and walked to the tiny theater in my hometown, for the matinee. 30 bucks, including popcorn and sodas.

We took Scarlett out to dinner and she sat in a restaurant high chair for the first time, just smiling and looking around quietly for an hour and a half! I was so proud. Since I taught my 6 month old how to behave in a restaurant... haha. It was good luck I guess, but I'm still proud!

I experience incredible pride when Malka remains at a table in a restaurant for more than twenty minutes and I count standing in a booth looking at our dining neighbors.

Yesterday poopiebaby was jumping from footstool to chair and shouted "SPOOOON!!!" as his battle cry. Nerdy parental pride.

Restaurants for us at 17m are either wonderful or horrible, and there is absolutely no way to predict how it will go. We actually got brave a week ago and ate out twice in one weekend!! Both were pleasant (one she slept through completely parked in her stroller, the other was a very patient brunch at pita jungle where she enjoyed playing with the crayons and sharing my 'fu scramble). On the other hand, trying to go to a coffee shop today for coffee and a couple cookies was a complete disaster.

I don't really feel much parental pride about anything Violet does, though, because mostly I feel like she's turning out OK in spite of me.

Ditto that, annak.

I do feel that pride sometimes when others notice things about her which they admire.

Although, I do admit to wondering if part of her amazingly large vocabulary is partly due to me being at home talking to her all the live-long day. :)

Leela was so good in restaurants before she became mobile. Now I might as well just light a $50 on fire, throw food on the floor, run around the space and go home.

We went to church for carols, which I thought she would love. Gave her a nap first, took a ton of toys, and she screamed really loudly in the first five minutes. Most of the people near us were so sweet, but two people moved away from us. We tried walking her around and going back in and it was just an abject failure.

Oh well, public spaces will be back in rotation at 3!

All kidding aside, I am so proud of how freaking sweet she is. She has no stranger danger, she has the sweetest smile and she'll engage with anyone in this really adorable open-hearted way and laughs. She is so social and adorable and she makes me so happy.

I do always feel like they're turning out well in spite of me. We were just at an antique store where E was doing an amazing job of looking and not touching and people kept stopping us to compliment... me?! Like I have anything to do with this. I was just so relieved he wasn't breaking shiitake.

tzipi was amazing at restaurants until she was about 2. we really haven't bothered to go out since then. take-out for the win. she's okay if we are out with grandparents or other similarly indulgent adults. basically, right now we need to have a 3-1 adult to tzipi ratio in order to have a relatively happy and relaxed meal. we went out for burgers and beer with lydia, tzipi and both sets of grandparents over christmas break and it was great. i just nursed lydia and drank beer, and 4 grandparents and mr. bird juggled the older kid.

All restaurants should have counter service. There ought to be a law. And did I used to be an environmentalist? Because now I want everything in the world packed up to go.

Fixed it for you!

Drive thrus are nice (I <3 evolution), but sometimes I want to eat in a restaurant where someone else does the dishes, and it is nice when I can pay up front and leave in a hurry if I need to.

I am proud when babynut sleeps through flights. And even when she doesn't sleep, but sits and plays quietly. Of course this is not due to anything I have control over, but it's still nice when it happens.

I am reviving this thread [though i thought there was another, the parenting hi-5 thread, or something? couldn't find, and this fine thread will do just fine.].

FC predictably got crummy grades again and i accidentally got a glimpse of her math notebook which had a note from the teacher saying she is yak-yakking all during class and not paying attention. and getting 80% of her homework problems wrong.
instead of house-smashing Hulk-style rampage I sat down and talked to her like a calm, intelligent person [which is the farthest thing from what i am].
do i get a medal?

Yes! Sounds like you deserve a gold one for taking the high road.

update: she hasn't had the famous Tuesday Tantrum!! [YET]

so i have one for the parental pride column of life. also the simultaneously heart-breaking/bursting column.

tzipi had her first big girl swimming lesson yesterday. where they go in the pool without you. just a big group of barely swimming preschoolers, tossed in a pool with one teenaged swimming instructor. i was pretty nervous!

i was in the viewing area (surrounded by glass, so you can see but not hear the pool) and watching her. she was shorter by at least a head than everyone in the class and probably quite a bit younger, but she was completely enraptured by the teacher and hanging on every word... nodding and shaking her head and answering questions... probably stuff she does every day at daycare but i don't usually get a chance to witness it like that. then they got in the water and she kept getting trampled by the other kids, but she very gamely kept going and the teacher was actually really great with her... made sure she was okay and gave her some space. then she made friends with the little girl next to her and they both goofed off with the pool noodles while the teacher was doing the one-on-one instruction.

finally the class was almost over and i went back onto the deck to give her her towel and get her back to the change room, and the teacher was doing one last song and helping them do a big jump in the water. i saw her offer her hands to tzipi and tzipi is looking really upset and starts backing away. i figured she was just done (long class, 1 hour) and went over to get her. i get over there, and tzipi looks up at me and says, "mommy, i peed" and then bursts into tears. omg. i didn't know whether to laugh or cry. it was so adorably heart-breaking.

i took her back to the change room and we had a little discussion about how to tell the teacher you need to go to the bathroom, and that i was sorry for not making sure she went before class. i guess that explains why she was yanking at her bathing suit crotch all class long!

oooh poor buggy!!
i used to love to schedule my swim session for when my kid was doing her swim lesson at daycare [she was in the Y for one awesome year] and get to spy on them.