We took a trip to the Astrid Lindgren World - she is the author of Pippi Longstocking and other children's characters - a couple of days ago.
As we were eating our pancakes in the dining area of an all you can eat pancake eatery, my older daughter, now 3 years old, knocked her lingonberry juice cup on the ground and spilled the contents. This was after she got strawberry and rasberry preserves all over her expensive Hanna Andersson clothes - very difficult to remove these stains.
I immediately thought what an awesome display of dexterity, and frankly, I was a little embarrassed and ticked by Elin's predicament. I was hoping no one would pay much attention to our nasty situation. My wife reminded me this was a natural thing with kids, but gosh darn it, we just thrashed the area around us. Must life be so difficult with kids? Can good table manners be taught to a 3 year old? What's the acceptable limit of their sloppiness? If they fling pieces of food at your face, is that a no no or is it excusable 'cause kids will be kids? There are clearly limits to poor dining habits.
So Elin finished her pancakes - actually, for the last third of her food consumption she ate nothing but the strawberry/rasberry preserves without the pancakes - and ran off to the side of the dining area in the miniature dining hall next to a makeshift restaurant filled with paper dolls with music and dancing in the background.
As I was watching Elin - by now my wife was out of my view with our younger one - a couple of things happened that made the 4 hour trip worth every penny and agony! A man knocked over a cup of coffee and if it weren't for her wife's lightning fast reflex to push her chair back as she got up to avoid the coffee, she would have been drenched.
I thought to myself Elin did much better in her mishap. She knocked her cup back and away from everyone!
Then something else happened that reinforced my about face opinion about Elin's dining habits. A mother who was carrying a tray of 2-3 paper plates with pancakes etc. dropped one of the plates on the ground near her table UPSIDE DOWN! Yay!!!! That sh*t was funny, especially the look on her face. I never thought I'd revel in other people's misery, but these two experiences made me feel much better than my own. My daughter wasn't dysfunctional afterall! A whole buncha loud and obnoxious birds gathered around, waiting for their opportunity to dine firstclass.
Years ago, I read a travelog book called The Geography of Bliss: One Grump's Search for the Happiest Places in the World. One of the countries Eric Weiner (the author) traveled to was Moldova, which is ranked as the 93rd happiest country in the world. Residents of this country are so depressed they take pleasure in observing the misery of others.
Gotta cut this blog short and give Elin a shower before we miss our 10:46 a.m. bus to downtown Lund. She's telling me "you have to haiwee (hurry)". Bwyan (Brian), mom said is not time for that (blogging)." A few seconds later she grabbed my iPad 2 and started playing "Animal Lost 10". As I wrestled the iPad away from her, she grabbed my comforter and mattress cover and made a mess out of my fixed bed. Then she insisted her mommy give her a shower.
I need to see more miserable parents now!
As we were eating our pancakes in the dining area of an all you can eat pancake eatery, my older daughter, now 3 years old, knocked her lingonberry juice cup on the ground and spilled the contents. This was after she got strawberry and rasberry preserves all over her expensive Hanna Andersson clothes - very difficult to remove these stains.
I immediately thought what an awesome display of dexterity, and frankly, I was a little embarrassed and ticked by Elin's predicament. I was hoping no one would pay much attention to our nasty situation. My wife reminded me this was a natural thing with kids, but gosh darn it, we just thrashed the area around us. Must life be so difficult with kids? Can good table manners be taught to a 3 year old? What's the acceptable limit of their sloppiness? If they fling pieces of food at your face, is that a no no or is it excusable 'cause kids will be kids? There are clearly limits to poor dining habits.
So Elin finished her pancakes - actually, for the last third of her food consumption she ate nothing but the strawberry/rasberry preserves without the pancakes - and ran off to the side of the dining area in the miniature dining hall next to a makeshift restaurant filled with paper dolls with music and dancing in the background.
As I was watching Elin - by now my wife was out of my view with our younger one - a couple of things happened that made the 4 hour trip worth every penny and agony! A man knocked over a cup of coffee and if it weren't for her wife's lightning fast reflex to push her chair back as she got up to avoid the coffee, she would have been drenched.
I thought to myself Elin did much better in her mishap. She knocked her cup back and away from everyone!
Then something else happened that reinforced my about face opinion about Elin's dining habits. A mother who was carrying a tray of 2-3 paper plates with pancakes etc. dropped one of the plates on the ground near her table UPSIDE DOWN! Yay!!!! That sh*t was funny, especially the look on her face. I never thought I'd revel in other people's misery, but these two experiences made me feel much better than my own. My daughter wasn't dysfunctional afterall! A whole buncha loud and obnoxious birds gathered around, waiting for their opportunity to dine firstclass.
Years ago, I read a travelog book called The Geography of Bliss: One Grump's Search for the Happiest Places in the World. One of the countries Eric Weiner (the author) traveled to was Moldova, which is ranked as the 93rd happiest country in the world. Residents of this country are so depressed they take pleasure in observing the misery of others.
Gotta cut this blog short and give Elin a shower before we miss our 10:46 a.m. bus to downtown Lund. She's telling me "you have to haiwee (hurry)". Bwyan (Brian), mom said is not time for that (blogging)." A few seconds later she grabbed my iPad 2 and started playing "Animal Lost 10". As I wrestled the iPad away from her, she grabbed my comforter and mattress cover and made a mess out of my fixed bed. Then she insisted her mommy give her a shower.
I need to see more miserable parents now!
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