Children are full of surprises!

You know how we usually put children in certain categories? How we often just think, “Naah they can’t do this or that?” “They are too young to know what that means?” Well, I am sure I am not the only one who has learnt from experience that children are so full of surprises. They can say or do the unexpected!

Independent tot

So any parent with a toddler knows just how independent those little ones can be. My 2-year-old boy is no exception. If you want peace, DON’T help him. From dressing up, eating, brushing his teeth to putting away his toys. It used to annoy me until I remembered that is just how I wanted him to grow: independent! Recently, I got a number puzzle meant for his 5-year-old sibling. I beheld in fascination as he took apart the numbers and put them back on again. Correctly 😊.

One day, we got a visit from my sister-in-law. I asked my eldest daughter to go open the door for her. I used her title, mainini (aunt or little mother when translated literally). Imagine my surprise when the little man called out her name! What😲? These little people know more than we give them credit for. Children will surely surprise you with whom they know.

The younger the child, the more we are bowled over. So whenever we get to the door the little man wants to open the door himself. Our patience has grown as a family because of this 😁 but woe to him who wants to use the bathroom promptly! The first few times he managed to unlock the door, I thought surely this must be a fluke. But the more he has done it, the more I am convinced beyond a shadow of doubt he now knows which key is for which door! Surprise, surprise.

Man of morals

When you know how, you can take learning to read for granted. But that is one hard task; the rules for words can be confusing. It’s tiring and frustrating going through the exercise with a child, that is why we keep it short and sweet in our home school. We were going through the exercise one day and I was running low on patience. My tone was definitely turning towards harsh but my little girl was soldiering on, without tears. My 5-year-old came and whispered, “Mum, don’t be angry.” Aaah guys, I melted and put all hostility away. What a man of morals: he was his brother’s keeper! Looking out for his sister and making sure mummy doesn’t get an ulcer from the stress. Children are indeed full of surprises!