There have been several types of I-don't-know-what-kind-of-nastiness passed around and back and forth in our house (and at church) for nearly a month now. Illness has been a part of our lives for so long, that I actually began to pay close attention to my schedule for the sole purpose of administering medication (to both the Varmints and myself). On that note, I'd like to mention that there is an interesting phenomena in our home: Daddy can get any child to ingest anything, anytime, for almost any reason. Poor Mommy is the exact opposite. (Hmmm; this caused another errant, off-topic thought: If I can get even children to swallow anything, perhaps I should consider politics.)
Anyway, I woke on Saturday morning feeling quite well. Little Bear hasn't coughed much in the last few days. Tank and Sugee Boogee are still coughing, but rarely. Unfortunately, it's little Bright Eyes that's hanging on to her sickness the longest. It kills me to hear the gurgling in her lungs and the "raspy"-ness of her 4 month old vocal cords when she cries (which is rare). Even sick, she is the happiest little one we've had.
My first inkling of widespread wellness came in the train-yard this morning. Train-yard? you may ask. Yes indeed: the train-yard. Didn't you know that all well-adjusted families with toddlers need a train-yard (in a playroom, bedroom, or the living room)? And it needs to be operational at least once a month?
Our train-yard just happens to be a "Thomas the Train" train-yard. Today, it's about three feet wide by six feet long, and is "cluttering" the back porch (a good clutter). The only real qualification of having a "good" train yard is that it covers the majority of the floor space of whatever room it's built inside.
The train-yard serves several important purposes in keeping a toddler's family sane and well-adjusted. First, it gets Daddy (or Mommy, if the Daddy in your house is challenged in the building arena) down on the level of the toddlers. Secondly, it also uhm... promotes good relations between the parents and children. And, lastly, it is -- ahh -- therapeutic for whichever parent puts it all together.
And if you believe that, I know of some swamp-land just up the street you can buy very cheaply. I pretend there are long-term reasons that trump my short-term ones, but the real reasons are: 1) I still have a lot of fun building the train-set. 2) The kids think Daddy's elaborate track plans are much more fun to play with. And, 3) I build my track plans in kid-friendly sections.
You probably aren't wondering what "sections" are, or even why I build in sections, but I'm still going to lay it all out (lucky you, huh?). Perhaps -- someday -- you will need to build your own train-yard to entertain your own children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, or some other snot-nosed little rug-rats (hopefully, mine) you agreed to babysit. =)
Creating kid-friendly sections is vital in attaining and retaining good relations among all the kids in the train-yard. It is preferable (but not required) to build at least two sections more than the total number of children that will be playing in the yard at any one time. (You can get by with an equal number of sections as children, but I've found keeping a bare minimum of one section more ensures one child will not encroach on another's territory if they become bored too quickly.) First, each section of the total train-yard must be self-contained and have an open spot next to it (or in the middle of it) that is big enough for a child to sit and reach all parts of that section (without sitting on or "breaking" any part of the physical track). Also, that "sitting place" in each section must be far enough away from all other children's "sitting places" that they cannot "bug" each other easily. Lastly, each section must be equally "cool" and enjoyable for all of the children. If all of this comes together properly, when the "supervising adult" (S.A.) tells the children to trade places (after a short period of time predetermined by the S.A.), no one will receive the "boring section," get their feelings hurt, or have just cause to scream "NO FAIR!" (which is unnerving for some S.A.s, but not so much for me). They (the kids) will also not be in each other's way, sitting on one another, "breaking" someone else's train (or track), and -- drumroll -- because they have something to look forward to, they will play with the train-set longer; resulting in longer periods of peace and quiet for said supervising adult!
One other note on operating train-yards; I highly recommend limiting the total number of cars in every child's train (the total number includes every car: engine, tender, caboose, you name it). With two kids, I allow longer trains (6 to 10 cars, depending on their ages) and still experience minimal problems. The more children there are playing around the track, the fewer cars I allow out there. With our almost-6 year old and twin 3½ year olds, I keep it down to 4 or 5 cars per child. We rarely have arguments that way because no one child can hog all of the "best" or "coolest" cars, and the trains aren't so long that any shared switch-tracks are occupied very long.
Anyway, (in conclusion) I could tell the end of an era was upon us this morning when I did not hear the silence that normally accompanies sick children. (The few minutes before and after the administration of necessary medications being exceptions to the silence, of course.) This morning there were hurt feelings, heated disagreements, objects whizzing through the air, and nearly blows exchanged during the operation of Sodor Isle's railways. I wasn't glad for the escalated threat levels, but the best thing about well children is the fact they are so much easier to reason with. (I can simply state, "If ______A______ happens, then ______B______ will be the consequence. Do you want to experience ______B______ this morning?" Uh-huh, I didn't think so. Everyone hug, and play nicely.")
[EDIT: The escalated agitation levels have continued throughout the day, so I'm fairly sure we are done with sickness for awhile.]
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