Every week day after school I bring my kids home.  We have a snack, we practice reading, we talk about their days.  I always leave my questions open ended, "how was your day at school?  Anything good happen?  Anything bad happen?"  And I try to keep my responses neutral, while at the same time finding discussions opportunities to help them foster better social interactions and insights.  I try to lead them to their own conclusions, but often find myself messing up and lecturing (I take after my own mom that way).  I mention this purely because it is reiterated in all my parental readings:  Always ask open ended questions, don't interrupt, keep judgment to yourself.  This fosters a greater sense of security for the child.  I actually take that advice very seriously, as far as creating open lines of communication with my girls. 

However, that is not what I am posting about today. 

Tonight, Saturday evening, the entire Midwest is under siege by various storms!  We run the gamut of tornadoes, tornado warnings, thunder/lightening, sudden and heavy rain, as well as, hail - except for us South Dakotans we have only thunder thus far.  Meaning dinner/supper time became a talk about lightening and, inevitably, led my man to a lecture on atoms.  Shortly after I felt my children were sufficiently lulled into a comatose like state by atom/electrons/magnets and lightening I declared, as I do every night, "Time to get your teeth brushed and PJs on!  It is bedtime!"  My dog overheard me and went straight to bed.  This dog made me laugh.  And this is why.... 

During the week we have an hour and a half to get through our routine (feed, read, talked to), before we are climbing back into the car to drive to my mans work to pick him up.  Life with one car means a lot of picking up and dropping off, plus a ton of forced family time in the car!  This can be exhausting for Ramona and myself... usually Beezus is better able to keep up the pace.

I say to my kiddos ten minutes before we need to be out the door, "Ok, time to get your shoes on!  We have pick your Dad up!"  Usually this is met by child chaos - meltdowns, demands, riots!  Damn the man, hell no we won't go!  Two crafty, independent, future occupiers.  But lately, among the madness, my dog gets up from where ever she is laying down or sniffing for crumbs (she is a lab and loves crumbs - which seem ample in the kitchen) and shoots to her crate.  She does this, because the alternative is to go outside. (A side note: what dog prefers their crate to going into the backyard for 30 minutes?!  It makes no sense - but that is my dog).

What strikes me is my dog has learned the phrase "time to get..."  and learned it means either crate-time or bedtime depending on the time of day.  She knows the routine, the phrase and does what she is told BEFORE she is told. My children on the other hand still need to be reminded, negotiated with, begged, threatened, bribed and sometimes dragged to their various scheduled ends.

I mentioned this to my man, Beezus happened to be in the room, my man just smiled and nodded, Beezus on the other hand thought it was hilarious.  She then proceed to explain to me that is because "people have more thoughts going on - Athena just knows to listen 'cause she will get punished otherwise". 

As per usually, Beezus knows everything.  Ha!

Tonight I am grateful for my children's independent thought processes and my dog who just knows when to listen!

Happy Saturday Everyone!