Stop Pinching Your Sister! ***

Puppy (falling asleep on Christmas Eve): I feel a smile spreading across my face.

Puppy: Rich is when you can go to Disney World without worrying about how much it costs.

Puppy: I’m sweating like a ring-tailed lemur!

Me: Give me a kiss.

Puppy: Where are you going?

Me: To bed, I’m not feeling good.

Puppy (as she hops from one foot to the other): Can I go to the bathroom first? Otherwise, I’ll give you a quick kiss and hug and not enjoy it.

Me: You are such a good kid.

Puppy: I know. Modest, too.

The girls were watching a movie set in the 1940’s when I overheard this conversation:

Kitten: Is this movie in the olden days like Laura and Mary (from Little House on the Prairie)?

Puppy: No, this movie is set in the middle ages.

As I was pondering the topic for my next post, I received an e-mail from a CBS contact that contained a link to the blog Zen Habits. Curious, I clicked on the link and was delighted to discover that the most recent post pertained to the Rules of Effortless Parenting.

The rules were a fantastic review of many of the parenting values that I hold dear and, for the most part, I think I measure up pretty well when it comes to applying the rules to my own parenting. But for some reason, Rule #1, Teach Kids to be Self-sufficient, was still swimming around in my head as I fell asleep that night.

At first glance, my kids measure up quite well when it came to self-sufficiency. For example, Puppy is responsible for getting her backpack packed in the morning, keeps her bedroom clean, and even assists in meal preparation.

Things become a little less solid when it comes to Kitten, which is to be expected since she’s three years younger. Truth be told, as the “baby” of the family, she still enjoys little perks like having Mommy and Daddy dress her in the mornings and often sits in my lap during mealtimes.

This mental inventory helped me realize that there is still plenty of room for improvement when it comes to building self sufficiency skills in my kids. For example, while Puppy and Kitten are expected to clear their plates after meals, they’ve never been asked to help with the dishes. And their dirty clothes? Well, those inevitably end up on the bedroom floor. It didn’t take me long to come up with a small list of extras I could include in our routine to help encourage their transition into “big kids.”

The next morning, I announced that it was time to amend some of our family rules. “You two are growing up,” I said, “and I want to make sure you know how to take care of yourselves.” I explained how it was time for them to start assisting in more chores, like the laundry and cleaning up the kitchen after meals.

There was a pause, and then Puppy piped up. “Your right Mom. We don’ t want to turn out like the frog. What if we grow up not even knowing how to chop mushrooms, for goodness sake!”

It took me a moment to figure out that she was returning to the scene in the Princess and the Frog, where the frog (a former prince) had never lifted a finger in his entire life and couldn’t figure out how to chop mushrooms for Tiana’s gumbo.

With a few small adjustments in our household routine, I can rest easy knowing my girls are in no danger of ever growing up to be frogs!

Kitten: I want my birthday to be in June.

Me: You’re in luck. Your birthday is in June.

Kitten (with wonder in her voice): It is?

Me: Yep.

Kitten: Does that make me lucky?

Me (eating Zucchini from the garden): Oooh, that is good stuff.

Kitten: Puppy can’t stand bikini.

Kitten: At school, a kid budged in line.

Kitten: I discussed with the babysitter that I was hungry.

Kitten: (Watching roadrunner, who crashed): Ooooh, that’s gonna leave a mark.

Kitten: Mom, how about you make hula?

Me: What’s hula?

Kitten: You know, chicken.

Me: You mean chicken mole?
Kitten: Yes, chicken hula.