I'm a paranoid parent. There. I've said it. No denying it now. I'm continuously afraid that my kids will somehow get separated from me while out walking and they won't be able to find home again. (Paranoid, isn't it?). As a result of this craziness, I've invented a new game (I call it "Toto, we're not in Kansas anymore") for the kids for when we're walking around town. It goes a little something like this...
I walk randomly around town with the kids for a little while. Then I ask them "If you were by yourself and not with Mommy, which way would you go so you could be home again?" I let the kids take turns being "it." Ella can almost always find her way back home. If nothing else, she can usually at least figure out which street to take to get her back to a main street to get her home. Luke has a little more trouble (can you blame him?) so I keep things simpler for him.
Parnoid? Yes. Potentially handy? Also a yes.
A sibling to this game would be " Can I cross the street?"
*
The premise of this game is that they need to know how to cross the street because we're Townies (yes, yes, I realize our town only has like 3500 residents but it's still a town, darn it.) and the kids will need to have these skills when they start walking to school. I stand with the kids at the side of the street and say "If you were all alone without Mommy here, would you think it's safe to cross the street now?"
*
Dorky? Yes. Potentially handy? Yet again, I go with yes.
*
Let's just not tell anyone bout it, mmmmm-k? Shhhhhhh! It'll be our little secret.
1 comment:
I don't really think that is paranoid...I think it's good parenting. It just turns it into a game so that they don't realize you are teaching them. Excellent strategy!! I've done similar things with my kids only in different ways - learning our phone number in a song; that kind of thing.
Post a Comment