Skip to main content

Cookies

Picture taken by TwinBug Photography
twinbugphotography@yahoo.com
The other night I made cookies with the boys. While the toddlers sat in their high chairs yelling, "Mooow! Moooow!" (their attempt at "more," their universal word for want/please/give me) and pointing at the oven as the cookies baked, our preschooler worked on some math. I drew 5 circles on a piece of paper, representing each family member. (He quickly drew chocolate chips, so instead of circles, there were 5 cookies.) We then counted out how many cookie dough balls we had and represented each cookie with a counting bear. His goal was to as evenly as possible spread out the counting bears over each circle to see how many cookies each family member would get. We were working on his math and trying to teach fairness. We had 11 bears and 5 circles.

1st Attempt
I explained to our four-year old that each bear was a cookie. However many bears were on your circle were how many cookies you would get once they baked. Probably not the best way to explain this to a four-year old, in hindsight. He quickly plunked 1 bear on Momma, 1 bear on Dadda, and 1 bear each on his brothers, then piled the rest of the bears on his circle. "Momma! You all get one and I get 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7! Woo hoo!"

2nd Attempt
Realizing my error, I attempted to explain fairness. "D, we want everyone to have an even amount of cookies. How would you feel if C got 7 cookies and you only 1?" I pointed to his circle as I said this. He nodded indulgently, "Well, that is not C's circle. That is my circle. So I have 7 cookies and C only has 1. See?" I pushed 6 bears over to C's circle, leaving 1 bear on his, and asked the question again. He contemplates this for a second and replies, "Well, now that's my circle [pointing at C's circle with 7 bears] and that is C's circle [pointing at his]."

3rd Attempt
At this point, the toddlers are tired of yelling "more" at the oven and have started to impatiently wonder where the cookies are. I tried to distract them with crayons and paper. O thought this was a fun new game; C would not be distracted. He wanted cookies and he wanted them now. He picked up his little cup of crayons and threw them on the floor. His piece of paper quickly followed. I shook my head and said, "No, sir, we do not behave that way!" I struggled with him for a minute, trying to teach him the appropriate behavior. He refused to listen and D interjected, "Don't worry, Momma. I took away his bear. And put it on mine."

4th Attempt
This is when I wondered if I was teaching anything at all to anyone. I sat back down with D and gave a brief lesson on fairness and kindness. His eyes glazed over and I stood up to check on the cookies. When I turned around, there were 2 bears on each of the 5 circles. D proudly announced, "Well, looks like there is 1 leftover for me! You guys get 2 and I get 3!" D, D, D... So close. I congratulated him on his math, spreading out the bears fairly, then pushed the leftover bear to Daddy's circle. "We always give Daddy the extra cookie, bud." D furrowed his brow, "One day I will be the daddy and get the extra cookie."

Thankfully the timer went off right then-- saved by the bell.

Obviously we have a few things to work on.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Military spouses

I started this blog before my twins were a year old, 7 years ago. We were a growing military family. We had PCS'd together 3 times by then. I felt like when I talked to other parents of multiples that there was a marked difference in our family mentality. They all had a long view-- neighborhoods they planned on living in for their children's entire childhoods, or sending their kids to schools that they themselves had gone to or all their previous children had gone to. As a military family, our focus is much more on the present. The time we have together today. Where we are living right now. My husband's schedule that week. We have to approach our plans with an open hand. Because I have found that I make plans and hold on to them with a tight fist and, like sand, they slip through my fingers. The military is always changing the game on us. Our orders were revoked before we moved to this duty station. Granted, they came through a week or so later, but at that point in time ...
2 comments
Read more

I love my stroller

Napping while we are out. North Carolina September 2011 I get stopped all the time when I go out. I don't mind that people want to wave at my babies or ask D if he is a "big help" or throw their hands up in mock distress and say, "I don't know how you do it." Sometimes, yes, I would rather run in and out of a store, but, honestly, even if people weren't stopping me, would that really happen heading out with three kids? I've gotten used to the "you have your hands full" conversations, but one thing I never tire of talking about is my stroller. People stop me all the time to comment on my stroller, either to tell me that they wish they had that stroller back when their kids were young or to find out what it is and where to get it. Let me start at the beginning. When D was an infant we had two different Chicco strollers, the travel system and the Chicco $40 umbrella stroller. Neither was that exceptional, but they both served their p...
74 comments
Read more

Homemade household cleaners

I love vinegar water. My mom used it as a cleaner when we were growing up and so the smell brings back memories of my childhood home. I've always kept a spray bottle of vinegar water in our home. I have used it for a bunch of small cleaning tasks, but it hasn't been until our most recent move that I have started using it for all my cleaning needs. (Probably because up until we moved to South Carolina I had a housekeeper... read " Domestic goddess "). I want to say what prompted our shift to vinegar water is how environmentally friendly it is, but that's not true. What prompted the switch is how easy it is to make and how inexpensive it is. What kind of cleaning products did I used to use? I used to use the Swiffer Wet Jet , but you have to buy the Swiffer Wet Jet Cleaner Refills and the Swiffer Wet Jet Spray Mop Cleaner Pad Refills , not to mention have the Swiffer Wet Jet Mop. I also had the Swiffer Dust Mop (needs the Swiffer Sweeper Dry Sweeping Cloth...
33 comments
Read more