Adventures in Bennionland

Sometimes language is funny.

This morning at breakfast we started talking about The Little Mermaid. Auntie Ali sent the boys a disc (THANK YOU!) with Disney songs on it. It’s been quite the hit.

After Under The Sea played (a personal favorite of mine) I was telling my boys about Sebastian and why he was singing that song. We haven’t watched that movie yet….

The boys are starting to put characters together since we have Disney Bingo so we were discussing how Ariel is a mermaid and her dad is the King of all the MerPeople (?).

Will: “King Triton is a mermaid too?”

Me: “No, he’s a merman. Mermaids are girls and mermen are boys.”

Walker: “Mermen? King Triton is a merman?”

Me: “Yep.”

Walker: “Papa and KK are mermans too!”

Mormon. He meant Mormon.

Ha ha ha!

As many of you know I hate camouflage. I think it’s ugly. Well, more like fugly.

So when Walker started expressing a great interest in all things military I had to reevaluate my feelings.

Parents have the tough role of being battle pickers. Which fights do we engage in? What’s the bigger picture? How do we in fact win the “war” of parenthood to raise healthy, happy individuals?

Well, this is how:

By letting our kids win some of the smaller battles. By putting parental distaste and embarrassment aside and letting our kids walk out into public in clothes we might not fully appreciate.

I bought that shirt (thank you 99-cent store!). I put it in their dresser rather than their dress-up box. And I’ve happily been drafted into the battle of camouflage and I’m letting Walker win this one. In the end, letting him make the decision and have some control means I am winning the parenting war. And that’s a good thing…

PS – on days that I really hate letting my kids dress themselves, I do comfort myself by chanting “it’s only a phase, it’s only a phase, it’s only a phase”….

Today Eric took the boys out to buy a present from each boy for me for Christmas. The entire way home they worked on their “line” to me if I asked what they bought. So…if I asked “what did you guys get for me at the store?” their response was to be “I don’t know!”.

Eric was so pleased with himself. Pleased, and confident enough, to tell me all about it. I, however, was a little skeptical. Will can lie like the best of them…but Walker…well, he can’t keep anything secret. So I was more than happy to indulge Eric by testing them out…

I asked several times – in different ways to try and get it out of them. Not because I want to know what they got, but rather to prove Eric wrong. Eric stood by and smiled, proud of his tutelage. And sure enough…Eric was right!

Isn’t it weird that we’re proud that our kids can lie to us? I’m sure that will bite us later….

Eric left about 1/2 hour ago for the Cast Party to celebrate the success of his play. I was washing dishes when Walker came into the kitchen. And here is what followed:

Walks: “Mom, do you want to know what your present is?”
Me (figuring it’s another test): “Yeah Walker, what did you get me?”
Walks: “I don’t know!”
(followed by laughter as he left the kitchen…only to turn around and say)
Walks: “Mom, we went to the store and got you stuff so you could keep smelling good. And make you clean. And lotion too!” (he’s rubbing my arm in a lotion applying gesture)
Me: “Oh Walks. You just told me what you bought me. Are you going to get in trouble?”
Walks: “Nope, Daddy isn’t here to hear me!”