Bad Daddy

A little while ago, Linda came up with a little motivational device for rewarding the kids when they do the things they're supposed to do without being asked.

A chart was hung in the kitchen with one column for each kid, and down the side, the rows were labeled with things like "make bed", "clothes in hamper", "homework", "music practice", "clear dishes", and "hang up towels after bath time".

Now, each time they take care of one of these responsibilities, a dot is placed in the chart. The idea is that when every box on the "dot chart" is filled for a certain number of days, we have some kind of treat, like making cookies, or going to Rita's for water ice.

So both Linda and I thought it was very cute when the kids started putting dots on a separate chart made especially for Daddy. It's a very rewarding feeling when one of your children appreciates something you've done, and wants to find some small way to say "thank you".

That is, until your 5-year-old gets angry at you and vandalizes your "dot chart".

But If You Try Sometimes You Just Might Find...

Ben's preschool teacher reports that she sat down next to Ben at school and told him that she wants to see him do a good job writing his letters today.

Ben's reply: "Well, you can't always get what you want."

(To be fair, this is something Ben hears from me with some frequency.)

Santa Claus Is Coming To Town

A variation on the Christmas standard, as sung by me on the way home from the Christmas Eve service last night with three tired, over-excited children:

Oh, you'd better stop fussing
You'd better quit complaining
You'd better cease your fighting
I'm telling you why:
The number of presents you receive tomorrow is inversely proportionate
To the amount of screaming that happens from this point forward

You'd better stop whining
You'd better settle down
You'd better get quiet
I'm telling you why:
Santa Claus is getting increasingly grumpy
And might be disinclined to give you everything you asked for tomorrow morning if the fussing doesn't stop

The Purple Bird

One of Phoebe and Ben's favorite toys is a purple bird puppet. They play with the puppet by chasing each other around the house with it while squawking at the top of their lungs.

For this reason, I hate the purple bird.

But a few days ago, a strange thing happened. The purple bird disappeared. Of course, I have no idea where it might have gone. All I know is that the wallpaper on our computer has been changed to an image of the purple bird, and this link has appeared on the desktop.

It's fun to watch them as they discover new Purple Bird posts, and maybe this is wishful thinking, but Phoebe might even appear to have some added motivation to learn more reading words so she can read the messages from Purple Bird.

I like this game a lot better than the one that involves the running and the squawking.

Sunday Soccer Highlights

(My apologies for yet another soccer post. I'm increasingly aware that I'm becoming an insufferable Soccer Dad).

Zach and Phoebe's Red Team played the Black Team to a 1-1 draw in their game today.

Phoebe's game continues to improve -- she got more playing time than usual today, and she kept after the ball the entire time she was on the field. She even tried to muscle in front of a much bigger kid while jockeying for position on a throw-in. That's my girl.

Zach's scoring streak extended to three games, as he scored the only Red Team goal. He actually created several scoring chances for himself by working hard, being steadfast in pursuing the play, and playing with a measure of reckless abandon. It is so satisfying to see him have some success this year. I'm proud of my boy.

On the other hand, I'm on the hook for another milkshake, thanks to Zach's goal.

Further evidence that I am becoming an insufferable Soccer Dad:

First, "Soccer" now the most 4th most frequently used label on the Houserspawn(tm) blog, after "Phoebe", "Ben", and "Zach".

Second, I turned down Linda's offer to let me catch the kickoff of the Eagles game this afternoon in order to watch Zach and Phoebe's soccer team play. Frankly, I'm enjoying Red Team soccer more than Eagles football these days.