Cayla: Mom, what’s alcohol?
Me: It’s stuff that grown ups sometime have in drinks, like beer and wine.
Cayla: WHAT?!?
Me: (I NOW remember that we’re coming off of red ribbon week so I try to explain better) It’s okay to have a little bit of alcohol if you’re a grown up and you don’t drink too much.
Cayla: Alcohol is a DRUG!
Me: (I’m failing miserably here, and I wish that Chris was home to help me) Yes it kind of is, but so is the medicine you take so you don’t get car sick. Some drugs are really bad, and some are not so bad. Like, it’s okay for you to have the carsick medicine, and as long as you don’t take too much of it it makes you better and doesn’t hurt you.
Cayla: So its okay for you and dad to have beer and wine?
Me: Yes, because we’re old enough.
Cayla: Oh my gosh…
Me: What?
Cayla: That one time you made me taste your wine. YOU GAVE ME DRUGS!
Me: A small taste is okay if your mom and dad tell you it’s okay.
Cayla: So I can only do drugs that don’t hurt me if you say it’s okay?
Me: Yes.
End of conversation – at least for now. This does feel like one of my ultimate “lows” of parenting. She’d learned about alcohol during red ribbon week, but never knew what it was. She asked me for guidance, and basically I sent her away from the conversation with. “my mom and dad do drugs, but it’s okay because they are old enough to”, “by giving me wine, my mom made me do drugs”, and “if my mom and dad say it’s okay I can do drugs again”. She seemed to completely understand, but they look of shock on her face was completely priceless. I can just imagine the things she told her kindergarten teacher today.
Me: It’s stuff that grown ups sometime have in drinks, like beer and wine.
Cayla: WHAT?!?
Me: (I NOW remember that we’re coming off of red ribbon week so I try to explain better) It’s okay to have a little bit of alcohol if you’re a grown up and you don’t drink too much.
Cayla: Alcohol is a DRUG!
Me: (I’m failing miserably here, and I wish that Chris was home to help me) Yes it kind of is, but so is the medicine you take so you don’t get car sick. Some drugs are really bad, and some are not so bad. Like, it’s okay for you to have the carsick medicine, and as long as you don’t take too much of it it makes you better and doesn’t hurt you.
Cayla: So its okay for you and dad to have beer and wine?
Me: Yes, because we’re old enough.
Cayla: Oh my gosh…
Me: What?
Cayla: That one time you made me taste your wine. YOU GAVE ME DRUGS!
Me: A small taste is okay if your mom and dad tell you it’s okay.
Cayla: So I can only do drugs that don’t hurt me if you say it’s okay?
Me: Yes.
End of conversation – at least for now. This does feel like one of my ultimate “lows” of parenting. She’d learned about alcohol during red ribbon week, but never knew what it was. She asked me for guidance, and basically I sent her away from the conversation with. “my mom and dad do drugs, but it’s okay because they are old enough to”, “by giving me wine, my mom made me do drugs”, and “if my mom and dad say it’s okay I can do drugs again”. She seemed to completely understand, but they look of shock on her face was completely priceless. I can just imagine the things she told her kindergarten teacher today.
*The "sad picture" actually goes with the next piece of this post, but I thought it also fit well with the title.*
This conversation was followed by her discovery that Tate had demolished not one, but two, of her art projects.
The first was the foam sticker project. She noticed that it had been moved from the table to the floor and some of the flowers were missing. We went to find Tate, but he didn’t look too innocent.
Was it the butterfly in his mouth, petal on his shirt, or flowers on his shoes that blew is cover?
This conversation was followed by her discovery that Tate had demolished not one, but two, of her art projects.
The first was the foam sticker project. She noticed that it had been moved from the table to the floor and some of the flowers were missing. We went to find Tate, but he didn’t look too innocent.
Was it the butterfly in his mouth, petal on his shirt, or flowers on his shoes that blew is cover?
Next, near the hallway she sees her “model” is broken as well. She’d gotten the clay for her birthday and was hoping to make a magical castle (like the picture on the package) After getting started she opted to mix the colors together and make a “luau rock” instead. The castle was going to be ridiculously hard and after seeing that it succumbed to the wrath of Tate I’m SO GLAD that she didn’t spend the time trying to make that castle. At least the rock was pretty easy to recreate. Poor girl.
How different are Cayla and Tate? Cayla was almost in tears earlier that day when she accidently broke one of these paper drink umbrellas (which we easily replaced) – she was so scared that I’d be mad at her. Tate rips through one thing and then just looks for the next thing to destroy.
On another note, I don’t say “Poor Tate” all that often, because he usually gets what he has coming to him and he takes most everything in stride. BUT – today he deserves some sympathy. He’s caught some nasty stomach virus, and the vomiting started during the night. YUCK! Also, Poor Chris. (he’s been home with him all day)
3 comments:
Awwww, poor Tate! And poor Cayla. But I still think you're a great mom, and she'll understand the drug distinctions in due time. Don't worry! :) --K
How I miss kindergarten and Red Ribbon week!?! It is quite funny...they all start saying how their parents drink and smoke and a look of concern is on everyone's face. The questions start, and I always said to go home and talk to your parents about it. There was no way I could go into that conversation with the kids! I would probably lose my job!
She will understand soon enough and you are a great parent! I hate to say it, but I did get a good laugh out of the conversation.
Geez, mom! You made your kid do drugs :) J/k. Her conversations are too funny.
Poor Tate, that really sucks. I hope he gets better soon!
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