In the service industry, I must admit that perception is everything. Actual quality of service doesn't matter nearly as much as the way the consumer perceives the quality of your service. What brought this on, you ask? We just finished getting my new place tiled, so we have spent the past four days "dealing" with the installers.
Day one was amazing. The main man was there telling us how things would go and essentially promising the world. We walked out of there happy as clams in silt with our expectations soaring. The next day, we were a little disconcerted to find that he didn't bother showing up and didn't communicate the previous day's promises to his worker bees. So, we started fresh and let them know exactly what he promised and how we'd like it carried out. (We are strong, Southern women, so we aren't afraid to speak our minds - most of the time.)
The main man didn't show up on day three, either, but that's OK because we were very used to his number two and were re-adjusting our levels of expectations. Ah, but day four kicked us in the head again. Number two didn't even bother showing up, leaving what looked to be a fresh-faced teenager in charge. It turned out that the youngster was more than capable and did a wonderful job, but we kinda feel like a little bit of honesty would have gone a long way for our peace of mind.
We felt like we had to call them and ask for explanations rather than them calling us to explain and reassure. We may have beat them down on the price (did I mention we are incredibly frugal people?), but they knew what they were promising when the deal was done. A continent is amazing... until you are promised the world. Regardless, the tile looks amazing, and I'm so ready to move in; I just wish the journey would have been a little more worry free.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Friday, April 8, 2011
Sensory Development... Really?
Today was my husband's day with our son, which meant I had the whole day to myself for chores and move preparation. I have commented to my husband (and almost anyone that will listen) that I get to do the "real" parenting while my husband gets to be on a constant Vacation Mode.
Not that what he does could be considered fake in any way; it's that he only gets two days a week with our son, so he tries to fit a week's worth of fun into such a short period of time. Don't get me wrong, it's great that he wants to spend time with our little wonder. I just hate that I have to spend the rest of the week getting the baby back onto a set sleeping, eating and activity schedule. You know, the whole he gets the coffee while I get the grinds complaint.
Today, I was amused to hear that he got a dose of what I call Normal Daily (or The Real World). You see, I have to take showers when the boy is 1) drinking his milk, 2) watching Sesame Street or 3) sleeping. Those three activities are the only things that will keep his inquisitive mind and fast hands out of trouble. Just so you know, if it's option 1 it's more of a whore's bath than an actual wash myself properly shower because the kid is so addicted to milk that he sucks it down like an alcoholic would drink a bottle of vodka after being on the wagon for a week. At least the other two options allow a little more time!
For the longest time, my husband criticized me claiming it wasn't that difficult to get ready with the boy in tow. Ah, famous last words! Today, my husband needed a shower, so he hid the knives, secured the plugs, put the breakables out of reach and otherwise extra baby-proofed the apartment. When he got out feeling fresh and clean, he felt like he was walking on a cloud. Literally! Our son had emptied an entire bottle of baby powder over himself and the sheets and was playing with the powder.
When my husband posted pictures on Facebook, my cousin (the one with the multitude of child development degrees that teaches three year olds at a prestigious school in South Florida) commented that playing with the powder is good for his sensory development. Really? I'm just glad our son was advancing his sensory palette on someone else's time... and bed!
Not that what he does could be considered fake in any way; it's that he only gets two days a week with our son, so he tries to fit a week's worth of fun into such a short period of time. Don't get me wrong, it's great that he wants to spend time with our little wonder. I just hate that I have to spend the rest of the week getting the baby back onto a set sleeping, eating and activity schedule. You know, the whole he gets the coffee while I get the grinds complaint.
Today, I was amused to hear that he got a dose of what I call Normal Daily (or The Real World). You see, I have to take showers when the boy is 1) drinking his milk, 2) watching Sesame Street or 3) sleeping. Those three activities are the only things that will keep his inquisitive mind and fast hands out of trouble. Just so you know, if it's option 1 it's more of a whore's bath than an actual wash myself properly shower because the kid is so addicted to milk that he sucks it down like an alcoholic would drink a bottle of vodka after being on the wagon for a week. At least the other two options allow a little more time!
For the longest time, my husband criticized me claiming it wasn't that difficult to get ready with the boy in tow. Ah, famous last words! Today, my husband needed a shower, so he hid the knives, secured the plugs, put the breakables out of reach and otherwise extra baby-proofed the apartment. When he got out feeling fresh and clean, he felt like he was walking on a cloud. Literally! Our son had emptied an entire bottle of baby powder over himself and the sheets and was playing with the powder.
When my husband posted pictures on Facebook, my cousin (the one with the multitude of child development degrees that teaches three year olds at a prestigious school in South Florida) commented that playing with the powder is good for his sensory development. Really? I'm just glad our son was advancing his sensory palette on someone else's time... and bed!
Monday, April 4, 2011
TV Rots Your Brains
I'm sitting here practicing the fine art of dish washing avoidance by adding items to my CafePress store and reading community forums when a posting sparked a cute memory. Thus, this posting to you. I don't rightly remember what the insignificant thing that sparked the funny memory was, but I do remember the memory and, yes, I am going to share. But, first, the back story.
I recently read several articles detailing why children under the age of two should not be exposed to television including the link to ADD, lower language and visual motor skills, obesity, sleep disturbances, lazy parenting and a plethora of other ill effects. (If you don't believe me, google toddler television watching and see what pops up.)
Upon reading these articles and realizing that I let my one-and-a-half-year-old son watch upwards of... well, I'm not admitting how many hours of television he watched... I made the decision to cut him back to one to two hours per day, at the most, including what is watched on the DVD player in my mom's SUV. In my own defense, I thought having it on as background noise would serve as the same sort of background noise he would hear at daycare or school. I was wrong. See? I can admit it.
I always saw those parents that had portable DVD players in restaurants or any handheld electronic device in public - aka portable babysitters - and judged them as lazy parents without the attention span to watch or discipline their own children. Having actually popped a kid out and come to the understanding of basic survival skills required to obtain a minute to yourself, my judgement has lifted a bit, but I still don't wan to be that mom. (I haven't changed my mind on child leashes, though.)
On weekdays, that time limit always includes Sesame Street since he responds very well to the lessons taught in that action-packed hour; on weekends, it includes my personal favorite of Phineas and Ferb by Disney. Selfish, I know, but a mom's gotta live, too.
So what's the funny story, you ask? In the past two weeks of the new regime, my son has started "talking" more and picking up on general human mannerisms... including pointing at the television and asking, "Please, Mom?"
I recently read several articles detailing why children under the age of two should not be exposed to television including the link to ADD, lower language and visual motor skills, obesity, sleep disturbances, lazy parenting and a plethora of other ill effects. (If you don't believe me, google toddler television watching and see what pops up.)
Upon reading these articles and realizing that I let my one-and-a-half-year-old son watch upwards of... well, I'm not admitting how many hours of television he watched... I made the decision to cut him back to one to two hours per day, at the most, including what is watched on the DVD player in my mom's SUV. In my own defense, I thought having it on as background noise would serve as the same sort of background noise he would hear at daycare or school. I was wrong. See? I can admit it.
I always saw those parents that had portable DVD players in restaurants or any handheld electronic device in public - aka portable babysitters - and judged them as lazy parents without the attention span to watch or discipline their own children. Having actually popped a kid out and come to the understanding of basic survival skills required to obtain a minute to yourself, my judgement has lifted a bit, but I still don't wan to be that mom. (I haven't changed my mind on child leashes, though.)
On weekdays, that time limit always includes Sesame Street since he responds very well to the lessons taught in that action-packed hour; on weekends, it includes my personal favorite of Phineas and Ferb by Disney. Selfish, I know, but a mom's gotta live, too.
So what's the funny story, you ask? In the past two weeks of the new regime, my son has started "talking" more and picking up on general human mannerisms... including pointing at the television and asking, "Please, Mom?"
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Being All I Can Be
I had a parenting discussion with a cousin's wife today, and it has inspired me to finally sit down and write you. As I am always interested in how other people choose to parent and in the similarities and differences to my choices, this is a great topic to get me started writing for you again.
Before you ask, "Which cousin?", understand that I have about a billion of them, so only people very close to me or with outstanding powers of deduction can keep them straight. Luckily, many of them are of child-bearing years, so I have a lot of fuel for my intellectual fire. I'm a pretty competitive person, and the streak did not miss my mothering side, so I'm constantly comparing my kid to theirs and finding ways to feel superior. (Oh, please! Everyone does it; I'm just honest about it).
Growing up, I was a soda drinking, fried-food eating, television watching McDonald's fiend. BUT, we were always outside playing, so I only struggled with my weight rather than being overcome with obesity. (Of course, the constant sun would explain the extraordinarily large spot of carcinoma the plastic surgeon cut out of my face a few years ago... but that's another story). My point is that - other than some weight issues - I was a moderately healthy, smart, bubbly kid.
I don't want my son to grow up with the same unhealthy attitudes toward food that I still struggle with, so I'm starting now (he's a year and a half) to shape his eating habits. I limit the sugar, the frieds, the fats and as much as the carbs as I can. He gets whole grains and a ton of fruit and no condiments aka ketchup, mayo, or BBQ sauce. He doesn't yet know what he is missing, and I'm hoping that he's learning food tastes good without all the unhealthy additions.
I've been criticized as mean and too strict, but I don't see discipline as a bad word. Setting boundaries now will help him not only understand limits but know which rules are meant to be broken... and which are to be followed. He's a happy, healthy baby (he will always be my baby) that knows what "no" means and is pretty well behaved for his age group. Even the pediatrician expressed happy surprise at how well he responded to her in his last checkup. We can go to restaurants and other public places with a minimum of outbursts without the need for a portable DVD player to play as babysitter. How many other parents of toddlers can say that?
I'm not a perfect know-it-all; not by any means. I'm always open to another point of view and have actually picked up pointers from parents that make many decisions I don't agree with. I want to grow as a parent and learn to be the best mom I can be. The stakes are too high to do any different.
Before you ask, "Which cousin?", understand that I have about a billion of them, so only people very close to me or with outstanding powers of deduction can keep them straight. Luckily, many of them are of child-bearing years, so I have a lot of fuel for my intellectual fire. I'm a pretty competitive person, and the streak did not miss my mothering side, so I'm constantly comparing my kid to theirs and finding ways to feel superior. (Oh, please! Everyone does it; I'm just honest about it).
Growing up, I was a soda drinking, fried-food eating, television watching McDonald's fiend. BUT, we were always outside playing, so I only struggled with my weight rather than being overcome with obesity. (Of course, the constant sun would explain the extraordinarily large spot of carcinoma the plastic surgeon cut out of my face a few years ago... but that's another story). My point is that - other than some weight issues - I was a moderately healthy, smart, bubbly kid.
I don't want my son to grow up with the same unhealthy attitudes toward food that I still struggle with, so I'm starting now (he's a year and a half) to shape his eating habits. I limit the sugar, the frieds, the fats and as much as the carbs as I can. He gets whole grains and a ton of fruit and no condiments aka ketchup, mayo, or BBQ sauce. He doesn't yet know what he is missing, and I'm hoping that he's learning food tastes good without all the unhealthy additions.
I've been criticized as mean and too strict, but I don't see discipline as a bad word. Setting boundaries now will help him not only understand limits but know which rules are meant to be broken... and which are to be followed. He's a happy, healthy baby (he will always be my baby) that knows what "no" means and is pretty well behaved for his age group. Even the pediatrician expressed happy surprise at how well he responded to her in his last checkup. We can go to restaurants and other public places with a minimum of outbursts without the need for a portable DVD player to play as babysitter. How many other parents of toddlers can say that?
I'm not a perfect know-it-all; not by any means. I'm always open to another point of view and have actually picked up pointers from parents that make many decisions I don't agree with. I want to grow as a parent and learn to be the best mom I can be. The stakes are too high to do any different.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)