Do you ever feel like you’re beginning to sound like your kid’s favorite version of “The Wheels on the Bus” requested to play over and over and over again? I am quickly realizing that raising tiny humans takes quite a bit of reminding them what to do and how to, or not to, act every single day. Although we all have a vast vocabulary, most of the things we say to our kids are probably overused and on constant repeat.
Here are my top 10 phrases that are on repeat these days:
1. What’s your brother doing? – Directed to my two-year-old because she generally has an idea of what her little brother is up to. I tend to ask this when I can’t see him and her answer is usually, “He’s playing.”
2. Did you poop? – Again directed to my two-year-old, who still only tells me the truth half the time. We’ll get there.
3. Are you finished? – Directed to either as they are playing with their food and clearly no longer hungry. Not sure why I ask this when their actions should be answer enough.
4. Don’t put that in your mouth! – (Also interchangeable with “what’s in your mouth?”) Directed to my one-year- old who still puts anything interesting he finds on the floor straight into his mouth. He never answers of course, but just recently he started holding “it” up as if to hand to me; however, this only seems to work if “it” is not already in his mouth. I think it’s working.
5. Stand up! – Directed to my toddler who goes completely limp during our getting ready for bed routine when I’m trying to help her pull up her pajama pants.
6. You need to listen. – Need I say more?
7. Which hand is dirty? – Directed to my two-year-old who often says “this hand is clean, this hand is dirty,” and usually is right, as she has to hold her snack bowl with one clean hand apparently. Though most of the time she says it when I’m not looking at her and she’s moving around so much that it’s hard to tell.
8. Clean up your toys – Usually followed by the “clean up, clean up, everybody everywhere” song until she’s (we’re) done.
9. Don’t drink the bath water – Directed to my two-year-old who thinks it’s funny to sneak sips during bath time saying, “ahh, yummy” and giggling. Gross.
10. I love you! – Directed to both even though my two-year-old responds with “yeah!” and my one-year-old just grunts or smiles. But at least they’ll always know!
