mommy phrases

Before I became a Mom, I think I expected that one day I would say some of those tried and true "Mommy phrases" that you hear about in books and movies. Sure enough, phrases like "because I said so" and "Don't do that! You may poke your eye out." are regulars in my vocabulary.

But, there are some phrases that are just as regular that I never dreamed I would say. For instance, this morning I caught myself saying to Andrew: "Don't chew on your sister's foot!" (This was while we were reading books and she was sleeping in my arms.) While the target is not always her foot, it is amazing what Andrew thinks he can do with Amanda.

I also never knew that sticks would be so important. We live on 1.5 acres, surrounded by trees, that drop PLENTY of sticks on our lawn. The most common phrase heard outside is me reminding the kids to "share your sticks." They love their sticks. (Derrick had to ban them from bringing sticks home from other places because he found one in the car that looked as if it had termite holes in it.) We have a stick box outside of our door for them to deposit their sticks and each child makes sure he knows which are his own sticks.

And, while "because I said so" is a favorite of mine, I don't allow the kids to answer "Because" when I ask them a question. Yesterday, Scott asked a Why... question and my answer was "Because." He looked directly at me and I could hear myself echoed in his voice as he said "Because is not an answer." Drat when those phrases are mirrored back to me!