Trinitonian 19

PERSONAL PARENTING TALES
WORK
My business trip consisted of
setting up for an event at a
track. I met with the client and
introduced Gabe. I prayed
for politeness (I’m never quite
sure what will come out of his
mouth). I nearly collapsed with
pride when he extended his
hand to greet the client with a
fist-pump (Covid-19 rules) and
then proceeded to have a fullon
conversation about the cars
and the track, and Mrs. Kruger!
MIDNIGHT SNACKS
We were feeling a little
“scratched-up”, so we
decided not to eat out but
to go to Woolies and get
some supplies and stay in.
I allowed him to select the
snacks – whatever he wanted.
I gave him a budget, and he
selected, calculated, and paid
(another long process). When
we got back to the room, he
unpacked and prepared the
snacks, all on his own.
THINGS I LEARNED ABOUT GABE
AT THIS POINT:
• He is confident
• He is well-mannered
• He is highly social
• He is intuitive – he understood
that this was important to me,
and he played the game
THE INCIDENT
As predicted, Gabe
constantly whined about me
taking him to the beach. I
eventually got a chance to
do so, and we found a tidal
pool. The tide was quite high,
and I was worried about
the waves, but Gabe (7)
convinced me it would be
fine. So, we jumped right in.
We held on to the wall to try
to beat the force of each
wave until a freak megawave
crashed into the pool
and washed both Gabe
and me completely out and
over sharp rocks, eventually
spitting us out on the beach,
all tattered and torn. Note to
self: stop listening to Gabe!
THINGS I LEARNED ABOUT GABE
AT THIS POINT:
• He is compassionate and
kind. (When I apologised to
him and said I was a bad
mom, he put his arms around
me and said, “You are the
best mom!”)
• He keeps secrets – that’s
good, and that’s bad! (When
I told him not to tell his father,
he looked at me with a
cheeky twinkle in his eye and
said, “My lips are sealed.”)
ANOTHER SIMPLE ONE-ON-
ONE IDEA: NUMBER NIGHT!
Every month, on your child’s birth
date, they get to have a “date
night” with you. This means that
every month, each child will
get one night that is just theirs.
It is special because it’s their
night with you, with no one else
around. Do something fun, out of
the ordinary, and focus 100% of
your attention on that child.
THINGS I LEARNED ABOUT
GABE AT THIS POINT:
• He is capable
• He is willing to try new things
(even if peanut butter and
Bovril turned out not to be a
mix)!
• He is considerate.
(Camembert is not his
favourite, but he knows it’s
mine, so Salty Crax and
Camembert was what he
served.)
Overall, the work trip was highly
successful. Not only was the
client happy, but I was more
than happy to have had the
chance to spend quality one-onone
time with Gabe. I learned
so much about my little boy in
one weekend, and our bond is
stronger than ever. I can honestly
say in this ‘Makro-at-Christmas’
family, I found my child.
THE CHILD PICKS THE ACTIVITY.
HERE ARE SOME IDEAS…
• Play a board game
• Read a book together
• Go on a walk or a bike ride
• Do a science experiment
• Build a fort
• Bake
The Trinitonian | 41