Life Lesson

Everyday Hadley opens my eyes to a new way of thinking. Usually it isn’t a right way of thinking, but it makes me laugh, regardless of whether I should or not.

For her entire 3 ½ years she has heard how adorable, cute and precious she is. She has heard this from family, friends, strangers, and Wayne and I too. We didn’t realize the effect this had on her until recently. After she got out of her bath one night, she ran over to the mirror in her room, she was looking at her self, or I should say making goo goo eyes at herself, I then hear her say, “Mommy I’m so cute”. Hmmm, how do I explain to a 3 year old, she shouldn’t talk about herself like that? So I said, “Hadley, we can tell other people they are cute or adorable, but we aren’t suppose to say that about ourselves, we have to be humble”. I could see the wheels turning, she then says, “So I can’t say I’m cute, I’m suppose to say I’m bumble?” Life Lesson: Choose your words carefully with a 3 year old.

Hadley has just moved up to a new room at her school. Her new teachers are fantastic and seem to be connecting with her and bringing out her best. (Many of you have heard the stories of me be called to the school in the middle of the day with the wooden spoon.) I am praying this new school year and the new teachers continue to bring out a new Hadley. One of their class rules is to keep your hands to yourself (an easy one to understand, right??). Her teacher was telling me the other day that at the lunch table several of the kids were poking and nudging each other, she said she then saw Hadley reach out and tap someone on the shoulder with her spoon. The teacher reminded Hadley of the rule, “keep your hands to yourself.” She said Hadley looked at her with the sweetest most sincere face and said, “but I used my spoon, not my hands.” Life Lesson: Choose your words carefully with a 3 year old.

The other day I was getting Hadley out of the car at school, when a helicopter flew overhead. As she emerges from the car and hears the helicopter, she says, “what the cr** is that noise?” Horrified gasp from me, “Hadley we don’t say that word, where did you hear it?” She doesn’t remember, but I continue to explain why that is not a nice word. Flash forward, to the next morning, there is a truck driving as slowly as possible over the railroad tracks down the road from our house, to which I blurt, “what the cr**??” Another, horrified gasp from me. Yes, that’s right, Hadley is in the backseat screaming the lyrics to Hannah Montana, Nobody’s Perfect, the irony. I apologize to her and explain again why that is not a nice word. Life Lesson: Choose your words carefully with a 3 year old.

The other day I was going to the barn and Hadley wanted to go out and play on her swing set. She was wearing only her underwear, so I explained she couldn’t go like she was, she needed to go get ready. She comes back still wearing her underwear, but now wearing crocs. I begin to explain again, that she can’t go out in her underwear. She says, “but mommy you said underwear was like my bathing suit.” Life Lesson: Choose your words carefully with a 3 year old. (There is a picture to go with this life lesson.)

Yes, she is outside in her underwear and crocs, playing on her swingset!!!