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"Mom, Can I Tell You Something?"
I hear this question a lot from my oldest son, who is kindergarten. He’s been saying it for about a year now. I have tried to recall where he got it from and I’m not sure, potentially from his old daycare but who knows.
It’s a bit of a wild card question coming from him. I never know what he’s going to ask but every time he asks it, I usually say, “Yes, you can tell me anything.”
It doesn’t matter if he’s hit his brother 2 minutes prior to asking this question, I always make an effort to listen to what he is going to ask me.
Ninety percent of the time, it’s the silly stuff or a request for food but on those days when he’s in a big-boy-grown-up mood, I’ll try to work in a “Mommy-is-always-here-for-you” nugget.
The other day we had a little chat…
“Mom, can I tell you something?”
I said “Yes, you can tell me anything good or bad.” (I thought I would spice it up a bit.)
To which he replied, “Even the bad things?”
And I said “Yes, even the bad things, I’ll always be there to listen.”
He was surprised that I wanted to know about the bad things. And so for 3.5 nano seconds, I felt that I got through to him on some level.
Is this going to make a difference down the road? The odds are probably 50/50.
I like to think that I’m laying the foundation for open communication between me and my son. It might be a lofty goal, but one I’ll happily try to achieve.
Do your kids have a special phrase they use and what does it mean to them? Let me know at weeboot@gmail.com or on Twitter @weebootMom.
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About the Author
Andrea Benton is a passionate techie Mom, who has two young children, both of which love tablet technology. She blogs about tablet technology for parents and childcare providers. You can read her blog at www.weeboot.ca/blog or follow her on Twitter at @weebootmom
