Awwww.

[kyra_ojosverdes]

Oh, wow. The most wonderful little girl in the world (26 months) was just in the office, accompanied by the best toddler-mom in the world. It is so nice to see good parenting, and this was exceptionally good parenting. Yay!!

The little girl was touching the pushpins on our (really not very toddler-safe) deskfront corkboard while the mom was on the phone. The mom said "oh sweetie, don't pull those out, they're pushpins and are sharp. They'll poke you and that will hurt! You may touch them with one finger, but don't pull them out. Mama will show you in just a moment." Then she did. Then they discussed all the posters on the front of the desk, including a NARAL poster which features the Statue of Liberty.

Girl: "What's that?"
Mom: "That's the Statue of Liberty!"
Girl: "Yeeees!"
Me: *quietly grinning at too-adorable smart child*
Girl: "Mommy, what's the Statue of Liberty say?"
Mom: "What's the Statue of Liberty say?" (child's speech is not crystal clear) *spreads arms wide* "The Statue of Liberty says 'Come here, all you people who are oppressed, and I'll let you stay in my country and have a nice place to live where you can be happy.'"
Me: *blinks a lot, really fast*
Girl: "Oooohh. The Statue of Liberty is nice!"
Mom: "Yes, the Statue of Liberty is nice."
Me: *blink faster!*

So, yes. Not only did the toddlerchild not trash the office or shred books or anything, the toddlerchild was exceedingly polite and well-behaved. (I did mention to the mom how nice it is to see such wonderful parenting, and how well-mannered and charming her daughter is.)

Comments

[mactavish.livejournal.com]

I could cry.

[kyra-ojosverdes.livejournal.com]

Blink faster!!

[spider88.livejournal.com]

It doesn't work!!

[kyra-ojosverdes.livejournal.com]

Better move on to muttering about "damned allergies" then!

[aliteraryaffair.livejournal.com]

beautiful and inspirational

[yndy.livejournal.com]

*grin*

Made me smile - and sigh.

I always feel a twinge of sadness when someone tells me how well-behaved Kira is and what a "great job" I must be doing... because I don't really think I'm doing anything above and beyond... but that means that so much of our society doesn't even bother to parent at all if a well-mannered, inquisitive child is such a rarity.

:(

[xiphias.livejournal.com]

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
"Keep ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

[wcg.livejournal.com]

Thank you Ian. I'd have posted those words myself if you hadn't. (At least the "Give me your tired, your poor..." part.)

Emma Lazarus caught the essence of the American dream with those words.

[kightp.livejournal.com]

Now I'm blinking, too!

It was pretty much the mom's paraphrasing that did it for me. (-:

[kyra-ojosverdes.livejournal.com]

Yeah.

[hollow-warrior.livejournal.com]

It is so refreshing to see good parenting! I get so diguted with the wealth of parents around my age (24ish) that let their children be Godzilla in Spaghetti Warehouse.
Is it becoming a lost art?