I’m thirsty! I need a drink of water. There is a strange but all-too-common phenomenon that occurs when children are put to bed for the night. An extreme and unquenchable thirst comes over the like nightfall on the Sahara desert. Suddenly , their little mouths turn to cotton, their tongues swell, lips pucker, and nothing, but nothing, will remedy their parched tongues but a tall glass of water, and they are forced to cry out in the night: “I’m thirsty!” This commonly occurs precisely twelve minutes after the final good-night, when the parent has climbed down the stairs, poured himself a nightcap, and settled in to watch his favorite TV show. Timing is everything with kids.
I’ll be your best friend! A child wants something. A turn on the tire swing. An invitation to a birthday party. A classmate’s half-eaten sandwich at the lunch table. The child has not money and few material possessions of her own to barter with, so she offers the next best thing - the coveted privilege of being her “best friend” - as a bargaining chip.
Is this my right or my left? Early childhood specialists advise there is nothing to worry about if a child occasionally confuses his right and left. The brain’s right and left hemispheres take a few years to establish their function in the average child and a little confusion is perfectly normal. But if your child is till posing the above question days before his driving, better get him a bus pass.
But I’m not hungry! Kids’ appetites are fickle creatures. The harder parent push (“Eat your vegetables.” “Clean your plate.” “There are starving children in Third World countries!”), the less hungry a kid seems to get. Of course, get a kid within five miles of a Dairy Queen or the gold arches and you’ll hear the following ism...
I’m staaaarving! When the door slams at 3:30 in the afternoon on a school day, before you hear the backpack hit the floor and the shoes flinging across the room and the TV warming up, you’re certain to hear the above ism. And, often, so will the neighbors. She won’t share. Just like burglars, kids can’t resist the temptation of another’s property, especially if it’s a new toy. When the other child won’t give it up, you’re bound to hear this one in various degrees of whine. How do you spell _________ ? Most kids will do anything to shorten the time it takes to finish their homework, cont.
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