There are a few things they forget to tell you in parenting school. More specifically, there are a few things which will come up constantly in your parenting life for which the universe fails to prepare you adequately. I’m sure we each have our own list of such things, but here’s a few of mine:
- Singing. So. Much. Singing. We sing while getting dressed. We sing while driving. We sing to the TV. We sing while cleaning up. We sing while going to bed. We sing while eating. We sing in the tub. We occasionally sing on the potty. We sing about walking down the hallway while we’re walking down the hallway. Oh yeah, we also sing in music class. I like singing. It’s a LOT of singing!
- The Specificity of Animal Classification. I did not realize how much I would learn about animals being a parent. We get very specific with animal classification in this household. Elephants and seals, sure, but also elephant seals. Did you know the capybara is the world’s largest rodent? We often play a guessing game called ‘This Animal’. It goes like this… Son: “This animal has fur and lives in people’s houses and barks.” Mom: “Is it a dog?” Son: “No. It’s a Great Dane.” Good luck when the answer is echidna or howler monkey. On a recent zoo trip, my son specifically requested dromedary camels (one hump). I recently overheard my wife utter the sentence “I do not like the weasel family.” I didn’t realize weasels were a whole family.
- Repeating. My son will say something to me, like “pickup truck.” I must say the words “pickup truck” back to him. “I see it too!” doesn’t work. “Yep” or “Uh-huh” - forget about it. You must say “pickup truck”. If I don’t say it, my son continues to say “pickup truck”, only each time with more urgency behind it. And then you must also repeat “dump truck”, “utility repair truck”, “city bus”, “semi”, “excavator”, “blue car”, “mail truck”, “ambulance”, “box truck”, “tanker”, and “motorcycle” over the next 60 seconds, as well.
I wouldn’t trade any of it for the world, mind you. It just might have been helpful to have a head’s up on some of these!