“You’re going to have to wait for daddy to come home. He’s better at these things than I am. You know, he’s better at figuring out how these things work and following instructions”
I’m sorry, what?
That’s what I said to my kid before I stopped myself in my tracks and took a moment to process what I just said. I just implied to my child – my son – that his dad is better at putting toys together than his mom. I just gave him the idea that his mom isn’t equipped to figure out the complexities of a Transformer (ages 8+, kinda tricky).
I may not be as good at “these things” as my husband, but I’m certainly no invalid. I’m an educated and strong woman. So it takes me a few more minutes to grasp the twists and turns and what pops in and out of this toy. I can still do it, and as the picture shows, I’ve got it down.
As my son gets older, I need to really start watching my words. He’s growing at the speed of light and we’re having in depth conversations. He’s picking up lingos – he’s called me a hot mess – and understanding certain terminology.
It all starts here, doesn’t it? It starts with us – the parents. Women are as valuable as men. Moms are just as equipped as dads. There are some things I prefer not doing – mowing the lawn, changing a tire – , but ultimately, I think there’s few things I couldn’t do.
I put together Jazz the Transformer today and my son gave me a high five. He bugs me to do “theses things” for him because he’s pretty certain I can. And whether or not I want to do whatever it is he’s asking of me – for the love, don’t ask me to clip that arm on that toy again! – I really should think about what it means to him when he asks me.
I’m mom – his hero. I’m mom – superwoman. I’m his mom – one of the only two people who love him with every atom and molecule.
He asks me to put toys together for him because, why wouldn’t he?
For More Parenting truths, see Top 9 Things I Want My Son to Know
