Thursday, June 14, 2012

The one where I overreact

So. My husband has recently taught our girls to say "Mama coffee, YUCK!" The "yuck" comes out in this incredibly guttural, almost alien-type voice---think Gollum in Lord of the Rings, or something. Whatever it's creepy. But. They think it's hilarious and Brad is pretty proud of himself for teaching them something so useful.

As the three of them utter their "yucks" though, I am silently praying for their souls, because I'm pretty sure that if God had had more space on that tablet he gave Moses, commandment #11 would have been Thou shalt not defile coffee. 

I think God even wrote this in the Bible somewhere:

BLOGS AND COFFEE - ESPRESSO

Anyway, the other day I was sitting on the floor Indian-style criss-cross applesauce and Brynne was sitting in my lap.

So, you know that bulge of leg right above the inside of the knee that pops out when you're sitting with your legs folded?

As Brynne is sitting on my lap, she starts grabbing at that bulge on my leg, and saying her creepy-Gollum-sounding-coffee-defiling "Yucks"!

I sit there reeling. My inner dialogue is something like this:
How could she know to dislike this part of the body?
Where on earth did she hear this from? 
I tell her:
It's skin, and muscle, Love. Your mama has strong legs, so that I can run and play and pick you up!
As I say this I'm thinking of all her little friends, wondering which one informed her to dislike part of her body or at least my body. And I'm fuming.
At 28 months she already has body image issues, or at least issues with her mama's body!?!? I thought I'd at least have a couple more years before tackling that! How could this happen!?!?
Then I get all upset with myself.
Did I give some hint of disapproval with my own body? 
The "yucks"  and the grabbing at my leg continue, and I desperately calmly, reiterate the importance of having a strong, healthy body, and that, yes, even that bulge, is part of the way God made us.

Just when I was running out of things to say. Brynne hands me a speck of dirt that was apparently stuck to my skin, on that bulge.
Yuck, Mama! she says. 
 Whew! And I proceeded to refill my cup of coffee.





http://data.whicdn.com/images/12232379/9fN7j_large.jpg?1311216743

10 comments:

The Iowa Farmer's Wife said...

Oh my! Too funny!!! :) I LOVE that printable you have about you, blogs and coffee! Is that hanging in your house and if so where can I get one?!!! I LOVE it! :) Gotta love the things kids say that we misinterpret!

Erin said...

Adorable! Love your stories of your girls.

CW said...

No, it's not a commandment, but it's pretty clear where God stand with coffee. There is a whole book of it in the Bible! It's "He-brews"!! See, it's even a man's job to make his wife coffee :p I know, a pretty lame joke, but it made me laughed so much when I first heard it. My husband doesn't like coffee either, but the girls' grandpa has been training them well by showing them his coffee and thermos all the time, the girls are very intrigued by this aromatic liquid and are pretending to drink it all the time ;)

twinsaneasylum said...

LOL, LOVE it! And I am a coffee fan as well :)

MandyE (Twin Trials and Triumphs) said...

Oh, I'm laughing!!!

We had a similar "miscommunication" yesterday.

1) In Memphis, I noticed lots of people with tattoos...at the zoo, walking around...lots and lots. (Maybe that's the norm these days and I just don't get out much? Dunno.) Neither of the girls commented on anything, nor did we, of course, but I had to wonder if they noticed anything.

2) There's a huge European soccer cup going on right now, and Hubby has watched a few minutes here and there in front of the girls. They noticed fans with their faces painted, and Hubby told them that's a way of showing support for a certain team.

So...

Out of the blue one of the girls asked, "Why do some people draw things on themselves?"

"Are you talking about tattoos?" I asked. I started this careful dialogue about types of self-expression, like haircuts, or earrings. I was trying to proceed cautiously...and then, it hit me...the girls were most likely referencing the soccer game. Whew!

Hahahaha!!!

Oh, and then B asked this morning how she got in my tummy. Wha???

I'm trying to remind myself to answer my three-year old's questions on a three-year old level...and not jump to conclusions about what they're likely meaning. I'm likely (at least sometimes) wrong. HA!

yettie said...

LOL! A twin mamas coffee pot should never be empty.

My girls do same to me but with housework. EVERY day, as they crawl up the stairs, they pick EVERY bit of lint and dirt and hand it to me; sorta like "ever heard of brooms and vacuums mama?!".

Lauren said...

Hahaha!

Kerry said...

Hehehe this was so funny and cute!! Hahaha, the things we think and get upset about, I'm guilty!

Just Another Mom of Twins said...

LOL! Too funny...hope you all had a great Father's Day with LOTS of "YUCK"...LOL!

Corinne Ritz said...

I hope you don't mind me saying so, but this post is hilarious! You know I don't drink coffee, no one in our house does. One day I was in the grocery store with one of my sons, who was 3 at the time. As we walked past the fresh coffee grinding area he took in a deep breath through his nose and said, "Mmmmmmmm.... Coffee!" I choked on my laugh as it came up because I was SO surprised! We never know where our kids learn these things, what coffee smells like or how to hat parts of our bodies. They really keep us on our toes, don't they?