Monday, May 9, 2011

The first of many tough lessons learned in life.

This morning Pete learned that once you've mixed the colors of the playdough, they can't be un-mixed to put back in the playdough containers.  I'm pretty sure it broke his heart.  At least for two minutes. 

Pete received an awesome playdough set for his birthday.  It's a movie theater theme set that makes popcorn, twizzlers, cotton candy and sodas from playdough.  As an aside, why do the manufacturers of playdough make food-related playsets while I'm trying to teach Pete not to eat playdough?  Pete asks to play playdough several times a day, and it's the perfect distraction for him at the table while I'm doing dishes. 

Despite my best efforts to play with one color at a time like the controlling anal-retentive mother that I can be sometimes, it's only been three weeks and already the beige for the popcorn has streaks of red from the twizzlers and the blue of the cotton candy is smooshed together with the brown for the colas.  I watched Pete intently design something this morning while I put away the breakfast dishes and pushed down my feelings of anxiety as he rolled them all into one big ugly clump of colors.  It sincerely looked like a pile of dog crap.  Finally finished straightening the kitchen, I asked Pete what he was making and he proudly told me he made me a birthday cake.  I was so happy I had kept my comments to myself.

Ready to play with trucks, Pete picked up the red container and I broke off a piece to put away.  I guess he really is my son because he told me "no, no, Mommy, only the red goes in there"  His expression fell when I told him that all the colors were mixed in and I couldn't take them back apart.  It took a few minutes to convince him it would be okay to put away all the colors mixed in together.  Pete will learn that some things, once done, can't be undone, not matter how hard you try.  I can only pray that other lessons in the future can be as easily fixed as this one was, with the promise of a "cold yogurt" after lunch.  Thank You Simply Gogurt for easing the pain of disappointment in a three year old and Thank You God for giving a three year old the attention span of, well, a three year old. 

3 comments:

  1. Pete, meet the Second Law of Thermodynamics!

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  2. it sounds like Pete is growing up.... what a nice moment and lesson for mom and pete. love it, thank you for sharing.

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  3. I love that Pete is as particular about his things as you are. It will be a benefit later in life when he's neat and orderly while his peers are messy frat boy bachelors. He'll thank you when he realizes how much the ladies appreciate a man with discipline :)

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