Needles and Wire!
Six years of working with kids will give you a jaundiced perspective on a lot of things, but today I am reminded of one of my favorite gripes - overdone gifts.
J's 7th birthday was last Sunday, and as is only fair, his siblings got a few gifts, so they wouldn't feel left out of the unwrapping fun. I support this wholeheartedly. The trouble is, the kids have a Great Aunt (GA) who has always sent inappropriate gifts, most often gifts that are too advanced for the recipient. The most recent chapter in this saga arrived yesterday, and was awaiting me upon my arrival this morning. GA gave E a jewelry making kit - the kind marketed towards 'tween girls. It requires super fine motor skills, patience, advanced reading skills, and knot tying. She's four! Of course she saw the kit, so she knows it's hers, and wants to make jewelry, but she has the patience of a gnat - and frankly the handiwork requires a lot of understanding of how jewelry is contructed. I'm shocked there's no sautering! This translates to me having to read all the complicated directions, prep everything, and then help her string beads that her fingers can barely pick up. Grrrrrrr! There are needles and wire in this kit. Needles and wire! Does the Demon Barber of Lime Street need needles and wire, scissors and clear nail polish? I think not!
She would have gotten more pure enjoyment out of an activity book or a nice set of markers.
So we started with a ribbon and bead bracelet. That was about all she could handle. The waiting for string to seal with nail polish, or the idea of twisting wire into specific desired patterns is far beyond her right now. I'm just annoyed because I ended up having to do all the work, which isn't very fun for her. (never mind me)
J is being walked home today by one of the moms at the bus stop - a very cool mom (we'll call her VCM) who's got the best job ever. She's a private concierge. People hire her to be available to them for concierge duties: theatre tickets, catering, reservations, transportation, house/dog/kid sitting, having their pied a terre in the city clean and stocked when they get there, that kind of thing. How does one develope a clientele for this kind of work, and how can I get into it? Sounds like a good next step for a retired nanny. And I will retire from nannying when this family no longer needs me. My adventures with Drool Man in Allston were enough to turn me off from other families forEVER.
So VCM is walking J home because O's naps get all screwed up on Wednesdays and he's finally asleep. I hate having to wake him up for trip down the block in the freezing cold. Happy!
Now E is playing with her sparkly "My Little Pony" Play-Doh. Much more appropriate for a four and half year old than needles and wire.
In personal news, my brother-in-law the chef is back on the market. That's all I'm saying.
Enjoy your over-the-hump day.
J's 7th birthday was last Sunday, and as is only fair, his siblings got a few gifts, so they wouldn't feel left out of the unwrapping fun. I support this wholeheartedly. The trouble is, the kids have a Great Aunt (GA) who has always sent inappropriate gifts, most often gifts that are too advanced for the recipient. The most recent chapter in this saga arrived yesterday, and was awaiting me upon my arrival this morning. GA gave E a jewelry making kit - the kind marketed towards 'tween girls. It requires super fine motor skills, patience, advanced reading skills, and knot tying. She's four! Of course she saw the kit, so she knows it's hers, and wants to make jewelry, but she has the patience of a gnat - and frankly the handiwork requires a lot of understanding of how jewelry is contructed. I'm shocked there's no sautering! This translates to me having to read all the complicated directions, prep everything, and then help her string beads that her fingers can barely pick up. Grrrrrrr! There are needles and wire in this kit. Needles and wire! Does the Demon Barber of Lime Street need needles and wire, scissors and clear nail polish? I think not!
She would have gotten more pure enjoyment out of an activity book or a nice set of markers.
So we started with a ribbon and bead bracelet. That was about all she could handle. The waiting for string to seal with nail polish, or the idea of twisting wire into specific desired patterns is far beyond her right now. I'm just annoyed because I ended up having to do all the work, which isn't very fun for her. (never mind me)
J is being walked home today by one of the moms at the bus stop - a very cool mom (we'll call her VCM) who's got the best job ever. She's a private concierge. People hire her to be available to them for concierge duties: theatre tickets, catering, reservations, transportation, house/dog/kid sitting, having their pied a terre in the city clean and stocked when they get there, that kind of thing. How does one develope a clientele for this kind of work, and how can I get into it? Sounds like a good next step for a retired nanny. And I will retire from nannying when this family no longer needs me. My adventures with Drool Man in Allston were enough to turn me off from other families forEVER.
So VCM is walking J home because O's naps get all screwed up on Wednesdays and he's finally asleep. I hate having to wake him up for trip down the block in the freezing cold. Happy!
Now E is playing with her sparkly "My Little Pony" Play-Doh. Much more appropriate for a four and half year old than needles and wire.
In personal news, my brother-in-law the chef is back on the market. That's all I'm saying.
Enjoy your over-the-hump day.
posted by Cameron | 3:22 PM
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