I am constantly amazed by the mental processessing ability of my 3 year old. I'm convinced without question that Kate was put on this planet to shake things up a little bit. She was definately put into my life to test every fiber in my being. So here it goes...
Connor’s daycare is sponsoring a running club to teach the kids the importance of exercise. Each day the Pre-K and Kindergarten classes run one lap around school (escorted by the teachers) and they have a chart that tracks their progress with stickers.
I signed Connor up for the running club and was telling him about it on the way home from school one day, when Kate announced that she wanted to join the running club too. Not realizing the potential repercussions of this comment, I told her that she was “too small” but she could do it next year when she’s bigger. Even though she was disappointed, she seemed to accept my explanation and that was that. Or so I thought.
A few days later Ross took the kids to watch me run the Platte River Half Marathon. They waited for me near the finish and cheered for me as I crossed the line. They were so excited for me and announced to everyone around them that “Mommy had won the race” – guess they didn’t see the hundreds – or – thousands of people who finished before me. :)
The next day, I was driving the kids to school when Kate asks, “Mommy, will I keep growing bigger and bigger?” I responded with, “Of course you will, sweetie. One day you’ll be as big as Mommy and Daddy.” Then she says in her sweetest voice, “But I don’t know how to grow bigger”. So I say, “That’s ok honey, your Daddy and I will teach you – that’s our job. To start, you’ll need to eat lots of healthy food and get plenty of good sleep”
About that time, we pulled up to daycare. Again, Kate seemed satisfied by our discussion so we got out of the car and walked inside. It wasn’t until later that I found out she wasn’t quite done with this topic. She was still processing it in her own special Kate way…analyzing, thinking, and preparing another round of questions.
That night at dinner, Kate did something very uncharacteristic. She ate her entire dinner without any coaxing. She just sat quietly and ate each bite until it was all gone. Then she got down from of her chair, stood up as tall as she could and asked, “Did I grow bigger?” Not drawing a connection to our earlier discussion, Ross and I both ooohed and aaahed with amazement and told her that she had in fact, grown bigger.
Then she looked at me with a proud smile on her face and said, “Now can I run a race with you?” That’s when I realized what had happened. In hind sight it seems so clear. Kate had her sights set on running a race and was not willing to back down so easily...
In the mind of a 3 year old, the first step was to confirm that it was possible to grow bigger. Check!
The next step was to figure out how. Eat good food, get lots of sleep. Check! Check!
End result is an immediate growth spurt that equates to being allowed to run in a race.
Alright, little Kate you got me. Well played my dear.
This entire story can be summed up with a picture from the last race that Kate ran. This is from the Denver Children's Museum run last fall. Notice the look of focus and determination on her face. Undoubtedly, this is a force to be reckoned with.
Connor’s daycare is sponsoring a running club to teach the kids the importance of exercise. Each day the Pre-K and Kindergarten classes run one lap around school (escorted by the teachers) and they have a chart that tracks their progress with stickers.
I signed Connor up for the running club and was telling him about it on the way home from school one day, when Kate announced that she wanted to join the running club too. Not realizing the potential repercussions of this comment, I told her that she was “too small” but she could do it next year when she’s bigger. Even though she was disappointed, she seemed to accept my explanation and that was that. Or so I thought.
A few days later Ross took the kids to watch me run the Platte River Half Marathon. They waited for me near the finish and cheered for me as I crossed the line. They were so excited for me and announced to everyone around them that “Mommy had won the race” – guess they didn’t see the hundreds – or – thousands of people who finished before me. :)
The next day, I was driving the kids to school when Kate asks, “Mommy, will I keep growing bigger and bigger?” I responded with, “Of course you will, sweetie. One day you’ll be as big as Mommy and Daddy.” Then she says in her sweetest voice, “But I don’t know how to grow bigger”. So I say, “That’s ok honey, your Daddy and I will teach you – that’s our job. To start, you’ll need to eat lots of healthy food and get plenty of good sleep”
About that time, we pulled up to daycare. Again, Kate seemed satisfied by our discussion so we got out of the car and walked inside. It wasn’t until later that I found out she wasn’t quite done with this topic. She was still processing it in her own special Kate way…analyzing, thinking, and preparing another round of questions.
That night at dinner, Kate did something very uncharacteristic. She ate her entire dinner without any coaxing. She just sat quietly and ate each bite until it was all gone. Then she got down from of her chair, stood up as tall as she could and asked, “Did I grow bigger?” Not drawing a connection to our earlier discussion, Ross and I both ooohed and aaahed with amazement and told her that she had in fact, grown bigger.
Then she looked at me with a proud smile on her face and said, “Now can I run a race with you?” That’s when I realized what had happened. In hind sight it seems so clear. Kate had her sights set on running a race and was not willing to back down so easily...
In the mind of a 3 year old, the first step was to confirm that it was possible to grow bigger. Check!
The next step was to figure out how. Eat good food, get lots of sleep. Check! Check!
End result is an immediate growth spurt that equates to being allowed to run in a race.
Alright, little Kate you got me. Well played my dear.
This entire story can be summed up with a picture from the last race that Kate ran. This is from the Denver Children's Museum run last fall. Notice the look of focus and determination on her face. Undoubtedly, this is a force to be reckoned with.
1 comment:
Ever so determined!
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