“How many children do you have?” the clerk questioned.
Holding the baby, and gesturing toward my toddler, who was twirling in circles a few feet away, I replied, “I have two children, the baby and Seth, who is 2-and-a-half.”
Eyeing my dizzy firstborn, now sprawled on the floor, the clerk raised her eyebrow and retorted, “You must have your hands full!”
“Seth is my big helper. I couldn’t do it without him!” I answered.
Later that afternoon, without being reminded, Seth put his toys in the toy box while saying, “I am Mommy’s big helper; I am Mommy’s big helper.”
I had not realized he was listening to my earlier conversation. His response prompted me to praise him in the presence of others more often.
This article originally appeared in the May/June 2010 issue of Thriving
Family
magazine. Copyright © 2010 by Sue Heimer. Used by
permission.
ThrivingFamily.com.