Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums General Discussion The ultimate brag thread

Mana, I'm running out of superlatives. I like your DD's spunk but am starting to commiserate now that DS negotiates everything. So I'm starting to understand the idea of teenage sass from a toddler.

I have 2 extra reserved kids.

DS5 used to sit on my lap and refused to participate for weeks when we attended mommy-and-me classes.

During the Christmas program at school, he was singing and dancing confidentially the whole time in front of hundreds of strangers. It literally brought tears to my eyes.

Sorry, not your typical brag…

What a heart-warmer! It is wonderful to see kids' confidence bloom like this. Thanks for sharing!

Squishy, my then 2 year old could ride a 2 wheeler without training wheels. If he doesn't have one, I definitely recommend buying a balance bike like a Stryder or similar.

I'm not sure if this is going to work for your DS but I finally found a way to get even with DD and take full advantage of the fact that she is three and not actually 13. When she is immersed in her imaginative play and wants me to play along, I assign myself a role that puts me in charge without a shadow of a doubt. So if she is a fairy then I'm the queen of the fairy land. If she is Cinderella then I'm her fairy godmother whose terms are non-negotiable. I try to reinforce the idea that I'm not an evil dictator on a power trip and I'm simply doing my job which is to ensure her safety so she can have as much fun as possible and to teach her necessary skills to navigate the world successfully. I don't know if the big message is sinking in but she is a lot more compliant when she is a Starfleet cadet and I'm the captain of the ship.

I'm officially going to test that, Mana. Thanks!

Mana, I smiled when I read your post because I use the exact opposite strategy with my DD. Since we spend about 1/2 of our waking hours in pretend play, I often choose roles where she is in charge of me. I then trouble her with all the stuff that she troubles me with in real life and watch how she tackles that. I find that being in my shoes helps her see the other side. Plus I really love it when she says "but baby" in an exasperated voice. I know I sound sadistic but believe me I am not. It is just awfully cute

We did this. The day DW and I played troublemaker students to DD's teacher was hilarious. We had to keep checking with DD to make sure she was enjoying the game, though. Turns out she was playing her role REALLY well, because she sure seemed exasperated to us.

To be honest, I never played like Mana suggests, because that's how we parented in everyday life, so we didn't need to pretend. Plus, it was no fun for us adults AT ALL. If I'm going to role play, I want to play as someone I'm not.

My DD is one of those children who are naturally wired to be oppositional so it brings me much joy to hear DD cheerfully reply "Okay" to my requests rather than her usual "Yes but..."

Her preferred pretend play scenario for months was to be a ballet teacher and I was one of her students. I wasn't allowed to talk during class and nothing I ever did was good enough (unfortunately, she really is a perfectionist at heart). If I tried to ask a question by raising my hand, she reminded me that all questions had to wait until the end of the class. These days, I refuse to participate as a student but I'm the director of the school and I critique her teaching techniques ("You have to tell your students what to do instead rather than just telling them what they are doing wrong. You have to give corrections").

I will try to get DD to switch roles with me today and see how she handles being a mother to a child like DD. Now that does sound like fun.

DS6 just started 5th grade math today; he is thrilled to dive into fractions.

DD4 is 1/4 of the way through her k-3rd reading program and is doing well and loving it.

DS2 has learned to jump with two feet and ride a tri-scooter properly.