Are you really blind?

We now have an almost daily discussion about blindness in the car after I have picked up The Little Missy.

I have a blind colleague that I drop off in the afternoons near his home.

He turns his head and looks at her when she is speaking, and he takes the stuff she hands to him.
He does not look blind, and there have been many misunderstandings through the years...
Like people seeing him walking around holding onto different ladies' arms, and thinking him a Don Juan... Or when he walks without a stick in familiar surroundings, and bumping into unsuspecting people.

Little Missy got quite upset in the beginning when she waved at him when he was out of the car already, and he did not wave back. I had to explain that she should say bye before he gets out of the car, or else he would not know that she is waving.

She also wants to know about the walking stick and how it works. To her it seems like some sort of magic wand. That it tells him where he is walking...
I have to tell her each time the stick helps him to know where a wall is, or where the road is!

She comes up with these questions, which he has to answer.
"Why are you blind?"
"Because I had a virus!"

"Why can't you drive a car?"
"Can you see me?"
"How do you know where we are driving?"

The day before yesterday she loosened a shiny stud from her leggings, and tried to give it to him.
"I have a star to give to you!"
"No thanks, Mieka, you keep it!"
"It is very bright! It will help you to see!"
In the end she threw the stud at him! Luckily it is small and did not hit him!

Later on she said:
"Oom J, jy moet vir jou 'n brilletjie kry!" - You must get glasses!
He just said yes, he will do it!

Reasons why the Preschooler gets upset

Little Missy still gets her furious tantrums, and after snort laughing at Reasons my son is crying, I decided to put up our own list.

A work in progress, of course...

Most of the times she gets upset about the most illogical stuff (or so we think), but in Her World it is Big AND Logical!
(Or else, it wouldn't have warrant such an explosion, would it?)

1. Waking up in the afternoons. This can sometimes take more than a hour to calm her down. (See photo above)

2. Pitching up "too early" at Pre-Primary in the afternoons. She still wanted to play!  (When it is the normal four o'clock pick-up time)

3. Not bringing a "surprise" when I go to pick her up.

4. Not turning on the children's programmes on television.

5. Wanting to turn off the children's programmes on television. (After we have said she could only watch for a fixed amount of time!)

6. Not dressed in the "right" clothes for the day!

7. She wants a sweet/ice-cream/lollipop at the shops. Protesting in the car, or in the shops!

8. Her friend hurt her feelings ("my hartjie seergemaak"), but only switching on the waterworks when we arrive at school.

9. Getting upset about a small hot chocolate in the coffee shop. It should have been a big cup like ours!

10. Screaming loudly when you try to distract her. She is not stupid! She knows what you are trying to do!

11. Not being kissed by Mom or Dad just before pulling out of the drive-way!

12. Having to leave too early at the Grandparents.

13. Breakfast in the car should not have been porridge/egg/fruit, but the other thing she had eaten the day before.

14. We are not allowed to sing with her! Period!

15. We are not allowed to interrupt her thought stream when she is talking to us!

16. We are not allowed to talk for too long in the car. She wants her turn as well!


What upsets your toddler or preschooler?

A discussion about fear

This morning out of the blue I heard the small voice from the back of the car...( I thought she was still sleeping while we were driving to school.)

"I do not have to be afraid (she calls it "skrikkerig" in Afrikaans), because God looks after me!"

I don't know where this statement is coming from, but I confirmed that she has no need to be afraid.
She also said that when she was a baby, she was not as fearful than she is now.

I hope I could convey to her that it is not necessary to be afraid.
(What can I say more than she is safe with us and that there is no reason for her to be afraid?)

I have seen that she is apprehensive and reticent when meeting new people. Last night a friend of my daughter came to visit, and Mieka demanded to be picked up and held when the girl arrived.
She gets almost frantic until she gets picked up! (As if she is in some kind of danger...)

The other definite fearful trigger is of course not wanting to be left alone, and not wanting to sleep alone. She wakes up screaming when she finds herself alone in her bed. And she calls out to us!

I remember being very afraid when I was small, and the eldest also had trouble with the dark.

We try our utmost to go to her, and sleep with her, and we do not leave her on her own. I know how scary it can be lying on your own (I can still recall my own fear of the dark), feeling as if strapped down by the arms (ghosts) in the dark.

I hope we can help her to overcome it sooner rather than later.

It seems all of us go though this phase?

Happy 4th birthday

Happy fourth year, my little girl!

Together with your sister you are the the pivotal point of our existence!

You bring us so much joy and light!

May your day and life be filled with happiness and laughter!

----

She could not believe this morning it was finally her birthday!
She has been counting for so many days...

She can't wait for her "party"!
We invited a few friends who are still in the city to come over tonight!
(I hope it will fulfil all her year-long wishes of the Tinkerbell party... )

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Best of wishes for your end-of-the-world final preparations!

We are going out in GRAND style!
With a Tinkerbell party! (*tongue-in-cheek*)

How are you planning to spend your last hours? :D

Last day of being Three

A final toddler tantrum brewing (?)

Can I also call it the last day of the "Toddler"-phase?

I have been searching the developmental milestone sites, and it seems that the end of the toddler years is finally here.

Wow! Just like that we are passing another milestone!

Nooooo! 

Feeling quite sad about letting "The Toddler" go!
She has been so much fun and so exasperating and so lovable and so cute.
I hope there will be another few years of cuteness ahead!

She has been slotted in for the whole year with the four-year old's, and she was graded with all the four-year old's in her class.
She did not do too bad in her report card.
(Next year I will maybe go and ask about not getting a single top score of 4, but this year I will not worry about it!)

We still see a lot of toddler behaviour, especially those awesome tantrums, and hope that year four will have less of them! (Can I cross my fingers?)

There is much excitement in our house for the upcoming birthday.
She is counting the sleeps and told me to go and buy a chocolate cake with sprinkles, AND balloons!

That we will do!

Happy last day of  three, my little one!


The Preschooler is at hand!