My Blog List

Monday, March 13, 2017

Little Kid Makes a Snowman

The report is that this is the most snow and lowest 
temps we've had in over forty years.  Swell.  But I
don't really care as long as the pipes don't freeze
and when the sun shines, it fills every room of this
old farmhouse with cozy bright.

As much as I love this old house,  puppy and I still have to go out for our
daily exercise.  On our drive to the park, I noticed a small boy, alone in
his front yard, trying to make a snowman. The day was a little warmer
and the snow was perfect for rolling a big snowball. There was a slight hill
in that yard and I actually stopped for a second to watch the little boy push
the snowball UP the hill. He was very small, perhaps 4 or so.

The little nipper was really working hard trying to push that big snowball
and then I wondered why his mother didn't come out and suggest it would
be easier if he pushed the snowball DOWN the hill.  Maybe it was one of
those teaching experiences, like, "Figure it out yourself, kid, it's a hard-
knock world out there."

If it had been my kid, I may have hollered out the door that it would be
easier if he rolled the snowball down the hill. Is that pampering too much
or is it better to let kids figure out certain things on their own? Just
wondering what you think as it's too late for me anyway. My kids are
now grandparents themselves.  If there were mistakes to be made in raising
kids, I made mine many years ago.

What do you think?

28 comments:

  1. I think I'd be letting my kids figure that out for themselves too unless they took too long and got discouraged, then I'd step in with suggestions. but like yours, mine are grown now and we don't get snow here anyway. I did once scrape a lot of frost out of my old freezer and dumped it outside for the kids, they made a tiny snowman and threw it at each other until it melted. Took about ten minutes to melt because it was winter.

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    Replies
    1. River
      That is hilarious but I bet your kids loved it..... especially if they didn't get to see snow. What a good mum you are, to produce snow. I've always kind of liked snow until older age came a-calling. Too much ice on the ground.

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  2. I remember doing the exact same thing - rolling a snowball up the hill, and guess what: I did it on purpise. You see, trying to roll a snowball up the hill makes you feel like you're working really hard to accompkush something. Wow look at me working a sweat mamma!

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    Replies
    1. Blue
      Kids are a mystery to work so hard at their play but with all that energy of youth, it's a great way to work it off. But Blue, you had that go, give it hell attitude right from the beginning. Can't stop you, once you get going.....from pushing a snowball uphill to building a closet and insulating a wall. So I guess one could look at a little kid and see if they have the "drive" that it takes to get things done. Glad you brought that up. Interesting.

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    2. Hey, I still need to show you what it looks like! Thanks for reminding me.

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  3. Big storm coming to NJ tomorrow, other than that we've been extra warm and snow-free this winter. The kids mom probably told him to roll it downhill, that's why he's trying to go uphill...he's a kid!

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    Replies
    1. Joeh
      I heard that. Do you have your supplies in case you lose power? Do you have a fireplace or wood stove. Time to snuggle in.
      Yeah, I forgot.... reverse psychology works on kids. You gotta tell them to roll the snowball uphill. LOL

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  4. Hubby and I just start the grand parents thing, Our first one will be one the 7th of April.
    As for were I live. I'm near Bonners Ferry Idaho. But I'm taking a quilting class in Troy Mt.
    Coffee is on

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    Replies
    1. Dora
      Oh how sweet that you have one little grandchild, That will be a fun birthday. I have a granddaughter born on April 6..... in fact, she's getting married in May.

      I was going to say we are neighbors except Montana is such a big state. I live in Helena so we are kind of neighbors. I've never quilted but it always looks fun when a group gets together with that big frame and everyone is working on the quilt. The hand-made quilts are so beautiful. Good for you.

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  5. Hubby and I just start the grand parents thing, Our first one will be one the 7th of April.
    As for were I live. I'm near Bonners Ferry Idaho. But I'm taking a quilting class in Troy Mt.
    Coffee is on

    ReplyDelete
  6. I would have let him figure it out on his own. Or wait until he was half way through and then run out and make one going down the hill. Hey, show not tell, right? I know, I'm mean lol

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Pat
      Actually that sounds like a good idea ...... to let him work off some steam first. You know, I do remember letting snowballs roll down hill by themselves and they got to be huge. I guess we discovered that on our own. I doubt if our mother was trying to make a conscious effort to teach us anything. She was just too busy and wanted us out of the way. All different ways of learning but somehow, kids get it,
      I know I'd rather have someone show me how to do something as opposed to just telling.

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    2. Yeah, showing beats telling most any day. As long as the show-er knows what they are doing lol

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  7. First off I'd have most likely been out there playing with him in the first place and we would have been going down hill. But if I hadn't, I'd have let it be a teaching moment, probably giggling to myself.

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    Replies
    1. Patti
      Yeah, that little guy was small to be out playing alone. It was difficul to judge his age. Those teaching opportunities that come when the kids are in their teens are the tough ones to know what to do. I do recall those and wondering what was the right thing to do, They all turned out to be good citizens so I guess some of the choices made were the right ones. The proof and the pudding thing.
      ... hahaha

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  8. My first thought was I'd be out there with him, if he's that little! I've let my older kids figure things out for themselves in the snow though, for sure. They did a huge fort that took several tries and ended up with one that was far better than I could have done if I'd have guided. :) So... you're a great grandma? Ha! That's awesome. :)

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  9. Rosey
    That is soooo neat for your kids to build a snow fort. So much fun for them. The weather has been a little warmer and the roads are once again in driving condition so I went to Bozeman one day. I'm chomp'n at the bit to get out in the yard. Winter will do that to one. LOL I hope everything is going wonderfully well in your life. from Belva

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Everything really is going wonderfully well. New place, got rid of the old car and got a brand new one (peace of mind), and we're happy. I now have nothing in the world to complain about. We are at peace. :)

      Warm weather will be here soon. I think the only good thing about cold weather is how much it makes you appreciate when it gets warm. ;)

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    2. Dear Rosey
      woooeee...a new car smell. I can smell it way up here. When I smelled that, I thought, "Rosey must have been blessed with a brand new car." LOL Good for you and I bet it has lots of knobs and whistles. My car is something like 8 years old and looks like a relic of yesteryear but it runs good so what the heck. I still drive my 1989 Nissan pick-up in the summer.

      I don't know if I told you, That little truck was so snowed in this winter that it just looked like one large mound of snow. Temps had not risen above zero for a couple months but I brushed enough snow off of it to open the door, took the key out of the ash tray and thought I'd see if it could possible start. OMG..... it started on the first turn of the key. Unbelievable.

      Finally the expectation of spring is in the air.

      I'm very happy that all is going so well for you. You deserve all the goodness available.

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    3. Glad to hear the Nissan started right up!! My oldest son used to trade in cars a couple of times a year (crazy, I know), but when he got in a Nissan he kept it. I think he's on year 3 now, which is crazy for him. Either that or he's getting a bit more financially savvy (he is 29 now, as of this month). :) You know all you March babies just get better and better with age. :)

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  10. Nope. I was the kind of mother who was out in the yard making snowmen WITH the kids. I didn't look at it as a teachable moment; I just thought of it as having fun. Where I grew up, we got lots of snow, but here in Georgia, snowfall is a rare occurrence. Now our grandchildren live even farther south, so they've never even seen it.

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    Replies
    1. Susan,
      I never thought I'd ever even hear myself think this but I'm getting ready to live without snow. Georgia always sounds like a great spot to me. I lived in Florida for 25 years but hated the mildy smell that is everywhere. I could hardly wait to ge back to Montana and the snow but now I find that most of the winter is too icy to step outside the door.

      I bet your grandkids look at pictures of snow and wonder what it would feel like. Kids do love snow and never mind fallow down on the ice because they just bounce and get right up.

      Thanks for visiting and leaving a nice comment.

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  11. I don't know if there's any right answer. The kids might invent the right way to do it themselves. Or, with some coaching, they learn a lesson and are more successful from the get-go. We just do the best we can. Solving problems on our own is a life skill we can always take with us. If you've got successful adults raising children, you've done well.

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  12. I remember when it snowed once upon a time in south Texas. My girls used all the snow in our yard to make a snowman to represent each member of our family. There were only four of us so you can see there wasn't much snow. I need to look for that picture. They have grown kids now.

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    ReplyDelete