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But it's okay to brag about your kids

A few nights ago I was reading Mallory a book about a trio of ballerinas. There was Shy Di, who was, well, shy. There was Dizzy Izzy, who couldn't tell her left foot from her right. Then there was Showy Zoey, who was far too proud for the other's liking.

"What's proud?" Mallory asked.

"Proud is when...you feel good about yourself because you did something really well, or when you learn how to do something really hard," I said. "And it's okay to feel proud of yourself, but it's not okay to brag."

"What's brag?"

"Brag is when you talk too much about how good you are. It's okay to say, 'I learned how to write my letters!' But it's not okay to say, 'I can write my letters better than you.'"

"Yeah, or you can say, 'I can write my letters, and so can you!'" Mallory said.

And I was filled with pride for her, for getting it, for showing that deep down, and no matter how awful she acts sometimes, she really is turning out to be good people.



In the "good to know" category -- The first bullet point on the list of instructions for Mallory's new scooter was:

This is not a toy! This is an item for fun and activity.



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Comments

Anonymous said…
My granddaughter - acts awful! Gasp! I really think that she just acts like a normal kid - always trying to learn to be.

Mom
4:11 PM
aimee said…
She gets it. I hope my kids get it.

So, what exactly are toys then, if not for fun and activity?
8:46 PM
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