Today, Christopher gave me a Rubik's Cube for Christmas. Tom told me it was genuinely from him; CJ saw it when the two of them were at Barnes and Noble, and CJ grabbed it and carried it around the store while telling Tom, "We haf to go show Mommy."
That would explain why the top of the package was already partially opened.
Anyway, I am now freaking obsessed with this thing. I stared at it for some time, and told Tom I was afraid to touch it, that I would mess it up. He laughed and told me it's there to play with, not to just stare at for hours. So finally, I picked it up and gave it a twist...
I had a Rubik's Once before, when I was about 5. Mom couldn't get it out of my hands. She had to hide it before I left for school. I spent days twisting, twisting, twisting, trying to solve it. One morning, Mom found the cube sitting by her chair, solved. She picked it up and a sticker fell off. I had gotten so frustrated with the darned thing I had peeled off each sticker and restuck them in order.
I haven't tried peeling this one yet.
I've already spent several moments today twisting, peering, shaking my head, twisting backwards, and occasionally biting my tongue to keep from cursing (CJ said "shit" at the store yesterday, but that's another story). I got all the yellows at one point, but had to abandon them to try to align my blues and whites.
Heaven help me. I'm on vacation for another week and a half, and I can already tell I'm getting nothing productive done.
Merry Christmas!
OK, since I mentioned it--CJ picked up the s-word from either Tom or me (we're equal opportunity shitters) and said it a couple times over the weekend. We didn't make a big deal and directed him to something else. Yesterday, we went out to finish our Christmas shopping and split up at the shopping center. Tom went to one store, and I took CJ to Linens 'N' Things.
I was trying to find a coffee grinder for my friend, Jay, who is seriously into coffee. I couldn't find one. I was next to all the coffee makers and carafes, and I knew they had to be there somewhere. I said to CJ, who was riding in the cart, "I can't find the coffee grinders. I wonder if they're out?"
My sweet little angel looked at me and with perfect inflection intoned, "Shit."
Again, I didn't make a big deal of it. He had a good point. Just then, I found what I was looking for and moved on.
Later, we were looking at candles while Christopher sang "Jingle Bells" to me ("Jinga bell, Jinga bell, Jinga alda way! Oh wah fun, do-doo-doo, jinga alda way!"). He started singing it using nonsense words, bobbing his head, "Shoo shoo shoo, shoo shoo shoo, shoo shoo doo doo shoo!", and then I realized he was using the s-word again instead of "shoo". Luckily, he was singing softly, no one overheard, and I was able to get him back on the right words.
I have no idea what I'm supposed to do with this latest development. My own darned fault, I know. I have a mouth like a sailor at home; it's a failing. Anyway, for any who have gone through this: Am I doing the right thing, letting it go and directing him to another word or activity or should I do something else? It seems to me that if I laugh, or get angry, then he'll say it more often--or who knows what other word he might pick. I'm sure I've given him plenty of choices.
And yes, later on, I told Tom what had happened while CJ was watching Bugs Bunny in our bedroom, and we laughed our asses off.
Listening Skills
6 hours ago
5 comments:
One of those good ideas that never really seem to work is to teach them to say something else outlandish, like tyrannasaurus rex or something like that. It never really worked for our kids, as attested by Ann Louise asking David, "Just where the hell di you find that?" when she caught him eating cool whip in the living room, and Everett, who said, "Well, shit a brick!" when something went wrong at supper with his grandmother Meadors. You can try, though--it might work for you.
Maybe you can tell him it's a word you only say with your family, (unless you say it elsewhere). You could try that.
I would compare this to the first time you see your child masturbating--that you need to not overreact, and to explain that those are private parts. My coteacher tells the little girls, when she sees them doing that at nap time, "I noticed you were scratching. It's itching, isn't it? When it itches, you can go to the bathroom and scratch it, because that is called a 'private' area. We only scratch it in private." And they stop, and are not in any way scarred for life. So maybe the same thing would work for the s-word. you could explain that it's a word that you really only say to Daddy, and that he only says to you, because you guys feel so very comfortable with each other and can understand each others' frustrations. But, then, I'm sure you also say it with other close friends, and may not want CJ to say it with close people like grandparents.
I don't know. :-) It's a cute story, though. He sounds so adorable.
I have no advice about your child saying shit because I swear habitually and plan on just beating my children severally if they do it.
On the Rubik's cube front however, I can offer some assistance. So that you don't destroy a wonderful gift from your child because of frustration, here is a website that will give you step to step instructions for solving it.
In fact, you can get so good that it can become a party trick.
I found that site on Google shortly after I posted. I also found a site with an applet to paint the cube in your configuration and get the moves to solve it. I was able to get the cube pristine again, and learn some of the logic, then my dear husband decided to mess it up again.
I shall bookmark that page and keep it handy. At least these resources are available online unlike when I first owned a Rubik's Cube and ruined it (although, the adhesive could have been of better quality).
Ann, thanks for the advice. I'm not sure what to tell him if he says it again, since he hasn't since we were in the store. As for the other advice you offered--been there, done that, thankfully didn't freak out over it. That was actually one of the things Tom and I talked about when I was still pregnant since we didn't want to scar him from some overreaction, but didn't want him doing that in the candle section of Linens N Things, either. I'd much prefer that he curse in public.
I saw that party trick last night. It was impressive.
(this is in response to strangeite's comment, and not Becca's.)
Happy New Year!
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