This morning:
Our daughter (15): ‘Papa, do we have anything delicious for breakfast?’
Papa: ‘Don’t know. Let’s go down the kitchen to prepare something, call your brother, too.’
She (to her bro): ‘Walter, watch out, escape, run for your life, I got caught, but you might still have a better life waiting for you somewhere else….!’
She’s turned 15 today.
Only 15 and she is already constantly busy with the welfare of mankind!
My girl.
My son – reading out to me from his favourite book – last night.
Under the seemingly peaceful surface I pay close attention..
My husband (to the shop assistant): ‘I would like a bike for myself – what do you recommend?’
Me: ‘Oh no!’
My son (10): ‘Mama, what’s wrong?’
Me: ‘I cannot log in to my google account..’
He: ‘I’ve read about the age limit there.. Maybe you are not old enough?’
Me: ‘I love you!’
Question of the week: what is the major difference between the first 2 photos.
Pardon? That the 1st one contains whisky while the 2nd one chocomelk?
Nope.
Any other guesses?
Then I come out with the solution: the biggest difference can be found in knowing the target market segment: while the product designer of the whisky glass could obviously see the world through the eyes of a drunken person, the designer of the Chocomelk apparently had never seen a child before. It would be difficult otherwise to find a reason of a cocoa cup which dramatically narrows towards the bottom, making the whole mug so easy to knock over for 0-7 year-old citizens, being the target audience of the product – while the whisky glass stands solid, impossible to be knocked over.
And you know what? After creating the cup, the designer wasn’t completely satisfied with this Masterpiece: as there still might be children who eventually manage to balance the cup. So he didn’t take a rest, and went further to design an accompanying soucer – you know, with the little circle shaped edge in the middle. So children with exceptional manual skills, who survived Level 1 (not knocking the cup over), can still fail the Advanced Level (placing the cup back on the soucer), so the Chocomelk can still land on the table/ in their lap.
Of course I totally follow the mental process of the designer thinking that the cup works very well with those children below 7 who have perfect fine-motoric skills AND are able to sit at restaurant tables motionless for hours – and I would really not want to disturb him with the special needs of the children belonging to the rest 99.9% of the target group.
I can hardly believe that there have been mamas/ papas/ grannies in the past 20 years who have not seen a child knocking over a Chocomelk in their direct surrounding – or, if their child was lucky enough, have not been sitting themselves by restaurant tables with a completely alert nerve system, being terrified WHEN the drink will be knocked over.
I wouldn’t be surprised if one day it turned out that the Chocomelk designer was financially supported by the alcohol lobby, so to make parents promote their children’s getting used to drinking whisky as soon as possible.
Recently I have visited a conference in Leuven University, Belgium.
Beautiful town.
From this fact and the quality of presentations I immediately concluded that one of our children should definitely come here to study.
I immediately started to contemplate which one of them should be The One, during which process I analysed highly scientific factors.
Among them the most relevant argument seems to be that the University is situated approx. 2 kms from the railway station, which distance needs to be covered completely on cobblestone, and that, on a daily basis, is really challenging on high heels, so it should be our son, Walter.
At the same time, if one of you is aware of a university which can be accessed on a smooth surface, please let me know, as apart from our 10-yr old son, I also feel like deciding on the future of my 13-yr-old daughter, is preferably still today.
Our son (10) is just poking his papa’s tummy with his finger.
My husband: ‘Careful, son, not to hurt your finger..’
We told our daughter (13) she is free to choose a.ny.thing to be the family program for today..
‘Convoy exceptional’
Our daughter (13): ‘Mama, this morning you look sooo young!’
Me (moderately happy for the compliment): ‘It’s maybe because I am not old.’
My husband: ‘I totally agree. Children, please more respect to Master Yoda ….eeehm I mean Mama..’
Our son (10) brings home his school report.
He: ‘To sum it up, I have received top scores from basically all subjects, except for ‘free discussion’, from which I got a 3 in a scale of 5.’
Me: ‘How come?’
He: ‘Some of my classmates receive better scores, but they talk about all kinds of pointless blabla, while I only speak when I have something to say.’
Me: ‘But when is this class? Morning or during the day? And what are the topics? And you have to prepare? And..’
He: ‘I have said everything about this subject.’
Me: ‘Ok, I think I get it.’
Me (to my 13-yr-old daughter): ‘Can you remind me, please, what the Dutch verb ‘verwennen’ means? I forgot..’
She: ‘It means e.g. when parents pamper their children, do everything for them..’
Me: ‘Ah, now I start to understand. But ‘pamper/do everything for them’ – you mean in the positive or negative sense?’
She: ‘From whose perspective?’
My husband (coming home from work): ‘Santa Claus visited us at work and as I was good the whole year, I got some chocolate..’
Me: ‘OMG that’s huge. May I get from it, too?’
My husband (photo 1): ‘Well, as you can see this is in the shape of an ‘R’, like ‘Robert’, so apparently only people having a first name starting with this letter can get from it.. , no wives starting with ‘P’ like ‘Piros’ can, unfortunately..’
Me (accompanied by the sound of a soft crackling, photo 2):
‘Sorry darling, have you just said something?’
Our son (10) comes home today, giving me an envelope from school. I ask him to open it, he starts to read it out:
‘Oh, it’s about vacation!!’
(Note: vacation in Dutch – ‘vakantie’)
He (surprised): ‘..Only they spelt it with double ‘c’ instead of a ‘k’..’
Me: ‘Hmm, could you show me for a second? …. Ah, I see… it is not a spelling mistake: the 1st ‘c’ in this word you pronounce as a ‘k’ in most languages..’
He: ‘Oh nooooooooooo!!!!’
I just love multiculturalism.
On Sunday I had a discussion with a papa, whose daughter goes for chess in the same club with my son. The man is originating from India, and we often see each other in the cafeteria.
He: ‘Are you Flemish? I can’t tell – you look like one, but you speak English here..’
Me: ‘I am Hungarian. ..Were you already born in Belgium?’
He: ‘No, still back in India. So, Hungary…well, sorry, all I know of the country is that it has its own unique language, and used to belong to the communist block…’
Me: ‘No worries. In exchange, all we know about India is that it is 1 country…a nice big country, though..’
He: ‘That’s right. The size of Europe. I, for example, have never been in our capital.. I see you are also a fan of clichés.. ‘
Me: ‘Absolutely. Anyway, what do you work in Belgium?’
He: ‘I am a space engineer, working for the European Space Agency.’
Me: ‘Oh, you must then be frequently visiting the Mars.’
He: ‘Not so often any more, I don’t have much free time, so only at the weekends. Where do you work?’
Me: ‘At a bankinsurer.’
He: ‘Then you must be terribly rich!’
Me: ‘ Oh, don’t even mention. We’ve just recently changed at home our gas heating for burning paper – in order to get rid of the piles of banknotes.’
He: ‘Okay, I see chess has finished, the children are returning. Continue next Sunday?’
Me: ‘Fine, see you next Sunday.’
A regular Sunday evening home – each member of our family communicating in his/her own temper.
Me (exhausted): ‘I’ve been suspecting for a while that our children have inherited some secret Italian genes..’
My husband: ‘I would love to talk to you about it only I cannot hear what you’re saying..’
Rotterdam, family trip into a museum of modern arts.
My son (10) (within 15 mins): ‘Can’t we by chance visit a museum, where the exhibited objects more resemble the labels next to them?’
Me (to my 13-yr-old daughter):
‘Didn’t we agree on that you would be busy with maths this afternoon?’
She: ‘Depends on how you define ‘maths’. I am working on squared paper..’
Deliverables.
Always define them accurately.
Me, the (desperate) housewife.
Quiz: which button was sewn up by me?
Our daughter, Noëmi (13), this morning travels to Amsterdam, NL, with her music school class to watch a famous musical. The children need to be delivered to the school bus by 10 o’clock (the meeting place is located 15 min from our home by bike).
Now you need to know that Noëmi is not that nervous type.
Readiness status:
9.22 – She has already put on one of her socks
9.28 – And now the other one
9.34 – ..Pardon, it was too early to be so self-confident. True, she has started to put on her other sock – which process was then dramatically interrupted by other Activities of Higher Priority, such as an incoming chat message, the patterns on her socks, remembering a funny story having happened 3.5 years ago, a piece of interesting-shape dust on the ceiling..
9.40 – She finally starts to have breakfast
9.44 – ..No, correction: it’s more accurate to say that ‘she sat down next to her plate’.
I, like some high-ranking military training instructor, give her reminders ranging tone from the ‘soft & friendly’ to the ‘loud & powerful’ in all imaginable styles and genres.
My daughter in the meanwhile is kindly asking about my workplace, how things go there, and is giving me some coaching wherever she feels it imperative. She seems to be ready not only to consume her 2-course breakfast within the remaining 35 seconds, but also to address all issues of her mother’s employer.
9.49 – She starts to brush teeth.
We, parents, encourage her tooth-by-tooth.
9.52 – She gets enthusiastic:
‘Mama, papa, this school trip will be such an exciting experience!!’
My husband (in a somber tone):
’My Dearest Daughter, apart from you for all other family members already your leaving home is rather an exciting experience.’
Ps 1: The label on her T-shirt is a summary of her CV.
Ps 2: From among experiencing the above and reporting about it in my blog, it was the latter one being the more fun.
One evening I am watching TV with the children, snuggling together on the sofa.
Walter (10) (emotionally):
‘Mama, you will always be invited to my birthday party..’
Noëmi (13) (emotionally):
‘Mama, you will always be allowed to use my mobile phone charger..’
My daughter (13) – ‘dressed to the weekly laundry’ she claims..
Our daughter (13) to her young brother:
‘OF COURSE I did not lose it – I just can’t remember momentarily where I put it.
Huge difference.’
– Noëmi, a Belgian-Hungarian teenager, 2 seconds before leaving to school this morning, patiently explaining to her mama the location of her bike key.
On the way home we see an educative poster on one of the street walls of Antwerp:
‘Dear doggy, please don’t take pee here’.
Our son (10): ‘It is very kind of them that they also think of dogs who can read..’
Our daughter (13): ‘Papa, would you take a photo of me with your mobile phone, so I can see how these trousers look on me?’
My husband: ‘Let me guess: the battery of the mirror is flat again..’
I’ve just found back an email: my announcement from 3 years ago made to the parents of our son’s class:
‘Parents of children from 2nd grade – attention attention!
Walter (7ys) invited yesterday already some of his friends for his birthday party in December.
The invitations were perfectly made, only the date, time and location is missing from some of them.
Plus he couldn’t exactly tell who he has already invited.
If you happen to see a mysterious invitation card where – with a bit of luck – the name is indicated, please let me know, and you will receive some additional irrelevant details. Have a nice day all!
Our son, Walter’s (10) birthday party takes place this afternoon in a playhouse. A lot of toys, pancake and other inevitable ingredients foreseen.
Walter (last night before going to bed, slightly worried):
‘Papa, what would happen if I became ill by tomorrow? All has been organised and been paid..’
My husband: ‘We would solve it Walter, do not worry.’
Walter: ‘Hurraaay!! You are the best papa!’
My husband: ‘..As I said we would solve it. We would look for another boy aged 10, named Walter, and go for the party..’
Hungarian grandma calling her grandson in Belgium:
‘What would you like for Christmas?’
He (10): ‘A Monopoly!’
Grandma: ‘But I remember you have already such a board game at home..’
He: ‘The Hungarian version is much better.’
Grandma (touched by this 2nd generation nationalism): ‘Better, right? You also prefer the things which are from your motherland..’
He: ‘Yes! In the Hungarian Monopoly we don’t pay tax..’
The definition of a ‘nice afternoon’ for me is definitely reading together with my son back to back – he his Dutch contemporary literature, and I, mine.
Ps: let me call attention on the fact that I dressed to the front colour of the book.
Men should have s-o-m-e style after all – for God’s sake..
If Saturday, it is table tennis lesson for my daughter.
It’s me biking with her to the training.
Suddenly, on our way, I realise that she is wearing the wrong shoes (black street footwear instead of sporty ones), so I suggest her to play bare footed today (as 2nd best option).
She (studying my outfit): ‘Or, mama, as you are wearing your white sneakers, maybe to simply change shoes for the training..’
Me (patronisingly): ‘Creative idea, Sweetheart, indeed, but of course there is no way our sizes match..’
The photo is taken of me already on the bench.
My son, Walter (10) – we moved to Belgium when he was 2 – informed me today that he thinks I do not pronounce his first name correctly.
I honestly apologized him saying I only gave birth to him – producing Dutch ‘w’ apparently takes a more qualified person.
He reassured me it was not a breaking point in our relation.
Last night I was home alone with the children (my husband being abroad for work).
With my son (10) we are watching videos by Queen on YouTube.
Me (showing him the below photos): ‘..And so he was Freddie Mercury.’
He (carefully studying the pictures): ‘They must have been very good friends, since they are together on a lot of photos.’
Me: ‘In fact, that gentleman was his love.’
He (truly surprised): ‘That other man with the moustache?’
Me: ‘Yep. It happens.’
He:
‘I see.
It’s good to be loved so much.’
That’s it, basically.
On the way to school this morning with my 10-yr-old son:
He: ‘Mama, when we get to the school, could you pls take home one of my toys? Once I brought it in the class and it’s still there..’
Me: ‘Sure, no prob.’
Deliverables.
Always specify them on time.
My husband (during morning preparations): ‘Noëmi, go down please to the living room, but first dress up all by yourself, and then have something for breakfast which is not biscuits, but preferably something healthy.’
Noëmi (13) turning her eyes towards the ceiling in despair): ‘So many unpleasant news, and the day has just started..’
