Emotional Intelligence

'My heart is broken, no matter how hard I try, time and again. I am always wrong. What is the point?'

I think my darling Max is old beyond his years. He thus described his feelings of frustration at not being able to put his pants on this morning.

Yes, look how well I have taught my lovely five year old boy. He is merely copying the words he hears, and now that he has said them in earnest in relation to a mundane task like putting on his underwear, I realise I have used those words too often myself. I am a bad mother (sniff).

Oh dear. What a dreadful example I am setting. Today also he asked me to explain the word 'atepite' - he meant 'appetite' I assume as we were discussing his lack of it at supper. They have such curious minds - my babies.

Freya questioned Santa in depth this morning, about his exact requirements with regard his request for her to be 'good' until Christmas.

'What asacly do you mean by that Santa?' she said. 'Bath-time? Bed time too?'...

That's my girl. Get him to make the deal explicit, in the manner of a 'pre-nup'. Perhaps I am not such a bad mother after all. My baby girl is certainly developing the right idea.