Down with the kids

We tried for ages to get Big Sis riding the hand me down bike, which in all fairness was too big for her. I finally admitted defeat when our normally even tempered little angel attacked the bike with hands, feet and even a stick, screaming “Stupid Bike!” - as other kids whizzed past! I decided our lesson in frugality was at the expense Big Sis’ sense of mastery. Asking ourselves what Martin Seligman would have to say - DSO took her to the bike shop the same day!

The result was a very nifty bike of exactly the right size and neutral coloring so its ready for Little Bro when the time comes (there was a concession of a pink removable bell).

Today Big Sis took a giant step into independence by riding her bike all the way to and from Kinder! I felt very proud of our little compliance officer when she stopped at the driveways and discussed in length whether the cars she could see were moving, and whether it was safe to go!

Little Bro was in the pram. He was desperate to travel on his trike (one with a big stick out the back that I hold onto) but I knew that would be too much, with Big Sis being trained in car awareness and Dog by our side. Dog sulks all day if he misses the Kinder run! Little Bro adjusted to the disappointment very quickly and as exploring language is his new hobby spent his time shouting out words (I use the term loosely) as they occurred to him.

At one stage he stumbled across the word “bum”, which every parent knows is one of the funniest words in the world for the under 5’s. It only gets funnier if paired with another word of equal humour - such as “poopy bum”, or even better “poopy bum head”!

Anyway, Big Sis heard him and all but fell off her bike in laughter, which encouraged Little Bro to yell, “bum” louder and laugh like a maniac! We had to stop for 5 minutes while the kids recovered themselves and Big Sis regained her focus.

I’ve always wanted kids with a sense of humour - to keep me laughing well into my old age! So I was left wondering whether this new turn in their relationship was a promising sign? Let’s just hope they develop through the toddler humour to something a little more sophisticated? Here’s hoping John Cleese, Woody Allen and Ricky Gervaise were all early adopters of the bum gags at Kinder.