high | low

Part of our bedtime routine includes what we call high | low. I think it's important to give your kids the opportunity to talk about their day honestly before they are in school and come home to, "What did you do today?" The reply is always, of course, "Nothing." If you want your kids to talk to you I think you need to 1.) start early and 2.) listen. Stop what you are doing and actually listen to your kids. What they have to say at three might not be all that important or even interesting, but what about when they are 13?

High | Low is an easy concept for little kids to grasp, simply the best part of your day and the worst part of your day. Having these conversations with a three and four year old can be pretty entertaining and also put adult life in perspective. Sometimes the low can be that mommy worked that day. . . which usually leads to why do grown ups work? And I don't want to be a grown up, I want to be a kid forever! And, well, um, Yeah! It's just not going to happen kid.

Last night I went first, "My high was that you girls like Megan and had fun with her today." [Megan is our new temporary nanny while ours travels abroad for a quarter] This lead to the conversation that our previous nanny is now living in Greece! over a (omg) cookie shop! GIggle, giggle. "I bet she'll have great cookie stories when she comes back!" Nyla squealed. My low was I still have my cough from our colds weeks ago. Nyla's high was that she got to skip bath time and finish watching 101 Dalmations and her low was *yawn* that "I'm so tired." (She's dramatic that one.) Keira's high was reading books together and her low was getting spaghetti in her hair during dinner. Spaghetti in your hair = bad. And that girl's hair can be pretty unruly. . . unruly enough if she's not careful in her formative years she might get a penis stuck in it.