Read Online Little Kids, Big City: Tales from a Real House in New York City (With Lessons on Life and Love for Your Own Concrete Jungle) by Alex McCord, Simon van Kempen - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Alex McCord, Simon van Kempen
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we’d never forgive ourselves if they did develop the flu. There seemed little recorded negative harm from getting the vaccination, but still we debated them getting it though eventually gave the authorization. When winter came, the hysteria died away. Many people have gotten the swine flu and not died or at least if they have died, the media isn’t screaming it from the rooftops like they once were.
We will probably never know whether they would have been better off being exposed to the virus and building their own antibodies or having the vaccination. Honestly deciding something like this is very much a “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” situation. But as long as you’ve thought long and hard about the decision, then no one can fault you for deciding either way.
TOP 10 THINGS WE DO IN A CRISIS:
10. Become a superhero and put a force field around anyone under four feet tall Seriously we canʹt insulate our kids forever They will fall get punched by a bully or spike a ridiculous fever someday We remind ourselves of this often
9. Surf the web for advances in technology—as soon as they make shoes with a tracking system in them Iʹm buying pairs!
8. Eventually (other parents please be faster than us!) we got all our contingency plans in order
7. Know what calms the kids down such as mak ing silly faces or reciting Shel Silverstein poetry backwards
6. We concentrate. Even if five minutes before hand weʹd been having a petty argument about what to order for lunch if an accident happens everyone has to drop what they are doing and help solve the problem
5. We trust our kids They are often rambunc tious but percent of the time when there’s a crisis they see our focus and snap into line
4. Since we have two kids we get one to help us with the other If we suddenly can’t see Johan the first person we ask is François. With two kids we have built in witnesses
3. We breathe We’re no good to the boys if we’ve passed out If there are two parents present at least one needs to remain calm
2 We listen to each other. If we donʹt, we get in each otherʹs way and lose valuable minutes/ seconds
1. We use the experience as a teaching tool after the fact Over a year later François is still careful running down hills and says “I don’t want to split my chin open again!”
Chapter 5
“Is Today a Work Day or a Home Day, Mommy?”
We Were Here First
Alex
One morning back in mid-2008, while busy in the hustle and bustle of our morning routine, François quite calmly said, “I wish you were a ‘home mom.’ I don’t like you going to work every day.” Wow. I explained to him that I knew it was hard during the summer, but that in the fall he’d be so busy with school and after-school activities that we’d be getting home at about the same time. Not good enough; François pressed on, asking why I had to work. I tried to tell him that if I didn’t work, we wouldn’t have the money that I get for working, and that it goes toward things like food, our house and of course toys and clothes and all the fun trips we take together. He asked why Daddy couldn’t work for the whole family. I explained that if Daddy were the only one working, we would never see him, much like friends of ours where the husband leaves at 6 a.m. and gets home after 8 p.m., seeing their two young children only on weekends. François pointed out that our investment banker neighbor still gets home before his daughters are in bed. I countered that the daughters are teenagers, go to bed much later and often do their own thing at night, plus early on in his career when they were little he likely worked much longer hours. I added that as much as I would like staying home with him, both Mommy and Daddy have to work plus it’s something that I enjoy, just as he enjoys going to school. I followed him downstairs while the discussion continued, poured juice for Johan and gave last-minute hand-off instructions to our
We will probably never know whether they would have been better off being exposed to the virus and building their own antibodies or having the vaccination. Honestly deciding something like this is very much a “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” situation. But as long as you’ve thought long and hard about the decision, then no one can fault you for deciding either way.
TOP 10 THINGS WE DO IN A CRISIS:
10. Become a superhero and put a force field around anyone under four feet tall Seriously we canʹt insulate our kids forever They will fall get punched by a bully or spike a ridiculous fever someday We remind ourselves of this often
9. Surf the web for advances in technology—as soon as they make shoes with a tracking system in them Iʹm buying pairs!
8. Eventually (other parents please be faster than us!) we got all our contingency plans in order
7. Know what calms the kids down such as mak ing silly faces or reciting Shel Silverstein poetry backwards
6. We concentrate. Even if five minutes before hand weʹd been having a petty argument about what to order for lunch if an accident happens everyone has to drop what they are doing and help solve the problem
5. We trust our kids They are often rambunc tious but percent of the time when there’s a crisis they see our focus and snap into line
4. Since we have two kids we get one to help us with the other If we suddenly can’t see Johan the first person we ask is François. With two kids we have built in witnesses
3. We breathe We’re no good to the boys if we’ve passed out If there are two parents present at least one needs to remain calm
2 We listen to each other. If we donʹt, we get in each otherʹs way and lose valuable minutes/ seconds
1. We use the experience as a teaching tool after the fact Over a year later François is still careful running down hills and says “I don’t want to split my chin open again!”
Chapter 5
“Is Today a Work Day or a Home Day, Mommy?”
We Were Here First
Alex
One morning back in mid-2008, while busy in the hustle and bustle of our morning routine, François quite calmly said, “I wish you were a ‘home mom.’ I don’t like you going to work every day.” Wow. I explained to him that I knew it was hard during the summer, but that in the fall he’d be so busy with school and after-school activities that we’d be getting home at about the same time. Not good enough; François pressed on, asking why I had to work. I tried to tell him that if I didn’t work, we wouldn’t have the money that I get for working, and that it goes toward things like food, our house and of course toys and clothes and all the fun trips we take together. He asked why Daddy couldn’t work for the whole family. I explained that if Daddy were the only one working, we would never see him, much like friends of ours where the husband leaves at 6 a.m. and gets home after 8 p.m., seeing their two young children only on weekends. François pointed out that our investment banker neighbor still gets home before his daughters are in bed. I countered that the daughters are teenagers, go to bed much later and often do their own thing at night, plus early on in his career when they were little he likely worked much longer hours. I added that as much as I would like staying home with him, both Mommy and Daddy have to work plus it’s something that I enjoy, just as he enjoys going to school. I followed him downstairs while the discussion continued, poured juice for Johan and gave last-minute hand-off instructions to our
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