AndreaD
08-22-2007, 07:48 AM
Last week we rowed Mike Mulligan, and had a ball with it. But there's one lesson that came to my mind that I learned as I read the book with my 5 yr old. Mike Mulligan and Mary Anne work faster and better when someone's watching them. I came to a realization that my boys also work faster and better when someone's watching them.
Yesterday afternoon, I sent my 5 yr old down to pick up his bedroom- stuffed animals, pieces of scrap paper and pillows cluttered the floor. I went down a few minutes later to check on him, and he told me to stay there. The spirit whispered "he works faster and better when someone's watching him" As I sat there and watched him clean, I knew that so often I just send him off to do his jobs, and get upset when they aren't really done. When what I need to do is go with him, watch him, help him, and teach him how I want them done. I commented to him "You are like Mike Mulligan and Mary Anne, you work faster and better when someone's watching you" He replied "Yup- I need more people to watch me and I can go faster and even better" He wanted me to get his brothers to come watch him work. Of course by that time he had it all cleaned up. But the lesson has stuck with me. Don't we all work faster and better when someone is watching us, helping us, talking with us? It makes the jobs much more pleasant than to do them alone.
Just a lesson that I learned from Mike Mulligan:D
Yesterday afternoon, I sent my 5 yr old down to pick up his bedroom- stuffed animals, pieces of scrap paper and pillows cluttered the floor. I went down a few minutes later to check on him, and he told me to stay there. The spirit whispered "he works faster and better when someone's watching him" As I sat there and watched him clean, I knew that so often I just send him off to do his jobs, and get upset when they aren't really done. When what I need to do is go with him, watch him, help him, and teach him how I want them done. I commented to him "You are like Mike Mulligan and Mary Anne, you work faster and better when someone's watching you" He replied "Yup- I need more people to watch me and I can go faster and even better" He wanted me to get his brothers to come watch him work. Of course by that time he had it all cleaned up. But the lesson has stuck with me. Don't we all work faster and better when someone is watching us, helping us, talking with us? It makes the jobs much more pleasant than to do them alone.
Just a lesson that I learned from Mike Mulligan:D