Lessons

Camille took Nathan's 16 feet tape measure and decided to measure from my suitcase, through the house.  She pulled out the tape to its full length and then asked me to help her measure.  I spend so little time with her that I gladly get up to do anything she asks.  I also thought we could turn this little experience into a math lesson.  She told me to hold one end of the tape and she took the other one.  When it was time to move the tape for another 16 feet, she said this button won't go up.  She had pulled the tape out to the very end, way beyond the the end of the markings, and I was sure we would never get back in.

Instead of showing her how to move the tape and figure the length of the house, I was telling her she had to tell her daddy she broke his tape measure.  With all sixteen feet plus pulled out, she says, " this won't fit in the trash."  I told her she had to tell Daddy, that being honest was the most important thing.  She had to tell Daddy and she had to buy another tape.  She responds with all my money is in a bank in Mississippi.  I finally told her I would give her some money, we would go to Wal-Mart and she would have to spend the money I gave her on a new tape measure.  She was still talking about the tape not fitting in the trash and her little eyes were filling with tears.  The whole time, we were having this conversation, I was working with the tape and suddenly it released and began to respool.  Since it was no longer broken, I never gave it another thought.

When Nathan and Julia got back, she told Julia she had to talk to Daddy.  Nathan was on the phone, so she told Julia what happened with the tape.  And, when Nathan finished his phone call, she told Nathan.  I was proud of her that she told even though the tape was no longer broken.

Nathan and Julia were trying to measure the area of the living room.  I hear Nathan saying, "MOM."  I went to see what he needed.  He says, "what did you do to this tape to fix it for Camille."  I had to laugh.  Again, I was sure, the tape would never go back in.  But I messed it with it and finally got it to release.  I told Nathan about Camille wanting to stuff it in the trash and hide the evidence.  He was laughing so hard, he was crying.  He went into her bedroom where she was trying to go to sleep.  He asked her if he pulled out the entire tape, did she think it would fit in the trash.  She quickly told him no.  And then he told her he, too, had accidentally pulled out the tape too far and Grammy had to fix it again.  It was an accident and it was ok.  She smiled, hugged his neck, and went to sleep.

I think she learned that she had to admit her mistakes.  It was hard for her to tell her parents about the tape.  I am sure she also learned something when her daddy humbled himself and admitted he made the same mistake. 

This morning Camille started to measure something again and all I said was, "are you sure you really want to do that?"  She had second thoughts and decided  there wasn't anything that really needed measured.

Love being with this little girl.  And her parents.

Terri