Being a parent is never dull. I'm not just talking about the daily busy routine of getting the girls ready for school, getting ready for work, packing lunches, putting out clothes for the day, brushing teeth, wiping sleep from their eyes, working a full day, being a mommy-taxi, prepping for dinner, clean-up, laundry, dishes, showers/baths, and trying to convince two tired girls that they are, in fact, tired. Both girls have their own special ways of throwing an unexpected yet happy curve ball at my day. Whether it's Devon reaching up because she wants her mommy after actively wanting daddy all day or some of the stuff that Kahlan comes up with - it's never a dull day.
Kahlan's most recent thought process is at follows:
K, "Mommy, why am I coughing so much?"
Me, "You have mucus."
K, "I'm going to tell all of my friends at school that I have mucus!"
Later that day...
Me, "How was school today?"
K, "I told all of my friends that I have mucus!"
Me, "...and what did they say about that?"
K (with a mouth full of McDonald's), "They said that they hope that I feel better."
I've never seen another kid who is so proud of their bodily functions.
That was earlier in the week.
Yesterday - I can't believe that Friday is "yesterday" already - I had to get the girls from school early and take them to an evening meeting at work with me from 5 - 6:30pm. The school closes at 6pm and PJ wouldn't have been home in time to get them. They have both been to the office numerous times and K knows where everything is (bathroom, kitchen, etc.) so she's able to be relatively independent at my work. The meeting that took place was with our American Sign Language (ASL) instructors as we are planning future classes. Therefore, the entire meeting was signed. I was holding Dev and I thought that K wasn't paying attention as she was coloring, eating, and running to the kitchen periodically for more water. I guess that she did pay attention because she spent a good portion of the evening at home waving her hands and fingers at me, asking if I knew what she was trying to say. I love that she understands that ASL is a real language and that she is interested in the disability community at a young age - this will hopefully contribute to making her an empathetic and compassionate adult. However, I did not have the heart to tell her that she wasn't actually signing anything - she was just waving her hands and fingers. I'm thinking that we may have to enroll her in ASL classes to get her beyond the basic things that she does know.
This also really got me thinking. K has never been one of those "point-and-stare" kids whenever she comes across somebody that doesn't look like her. In her coloring books, she will color skin white, yellow, brown, and black without a second thought. She will pointedly say that "some people have darker skin and some people have lighter skin" and I tell her that she is right and that everybody is different. Sometimes the differences can be seen and sometimes they can't be seen - but being different is what makes the world go 'round. I can tell that she is always observing, always processing information. She really takes it all in - and she is really sensitive. I just know that she will change the world for the better when she is older with that great mind and huge heart of hers.
Not that I'm biased or anything...
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