Miniature Citizens on Patrol

Literally since before they could talk, the girls have been making observations about the world around them.  

I love to tell them the story of how we were passing a sign with dogs on it – oblivious to me – when I heard the girls, then about 15 months, slapping their legs from the backseat of the car.  It took me a moment to recognize they were signing “dog”, but sure enough, I spotted the billboard outside their window.

I wrote not long ago about how they’ve become full-fledged backseat drivers since we turned their car seats around earlier this year.  “Do you think we’ll make that light, Mommy?”  “Mommy, the speed limit is 45.  How fast are you going?”

Their commentary extends far beyond what we’re doing.  Lately they seem to seek what they see as social, moral, ethical, and environmental injustices in nothing short of WonderTwin fashion.

“Mommy!  That man is smoking!  It’s bad for his health!”

“Mommy!  I see a bottle in the grass!  That’s not good for the environment!”

“Mommy!  Someone didn’t return their cart!  That is very inconsiderate!”

“Mommy!  Those people are eating at a chemical restaurant!”  (This is usually followed by a hacking sound, then laughter.)

“Mommy!  That person is riding a motorcycle without a helmet!”  A couple of times my A has gone on to say, “He has on the wrong pants, and the wrong shirt, and the wrong shoes.”  [I finally figured out that I explained one time why people often wear leather jackets and pants and boots to ride motorcycles…I guess she thinks those items are a “must.”]

“Mommy!  That dog is not on a leash!  I hope that’s his yard!  And I hope they have an underground fence.  That wouldn’t be safe for him to be out without his mommy or daddy!”  “Be safe, Sweet Pup!”

“Mommy!  That car was going FAST!  Do you think they’ll get a ticket?”

And these comments are just from our weekend outings.  Over the course of a week, the list would be much, much longer.

Many times, the girls will ask “WHY” people do certain things, or make certain choices.  I do my best to present my answer in a non-judgmental way.

About some things, I will remind the girls, “Different people have different rules, and that’s OK.”

And about other things – like smoking and eating foods certain foods – I take a more direct approach.  “Maybe some people don’t have the same information that we have.  Mommy and Daddy read, and we work with your pediatrician and our doctors to know what things are good for our bodies.  We know about making good choices for us, and that’s what we do.”

And about some things, like litter, I’ll agree, “Yes, someone was being very inconsiderate.  It’s very impolite to throw trash on the ground, and it’s bad for the environment.”

I’m trying to temper the girls from being too goody-goody…at least within earshot of other people…but I have to laugh to myself at my miniature citizens on patrol.

Backseat Drivers

When we turned the girls’ car seats to forward-facing in February, it was amazing the things they noticed…things that I wouldn’t remotely think to point out to them.  They were enthralled with all the buttons and lights.  They loved the cardinal directions on the rear-view mirror.  And they were so interested in why the keys were hanging by the steering wheel.  (That would be the ignition.)

Their excitement faded after a month or so, but the non-stop commentary from the backseat is back.  Yes, the girls are full-fledged backseat drivers.

Mommy, what is the speed limit?  Seventy?  Can you please go seventy?

Why are you slowing down?  I like to go fast!

Why can’t we make a u-turn here?

Sirens!  I hear sirens!  Stop, Mommy! 

Why is that truck going faster than we are?

Mommy, why didn’t you use your signal?  The other cars need to know what we’re doing.

Mommy, what was that bump?  They need to take better care of the road here.

Mommy, what is the number on my tire?  What about Sissy’s?  Does Daddy need to air them up?  (Our car is very sensitive to tire pressure changes…it beeps at me all the time to report the pressure, and the girls have picked up on this.)

Mommy, the light is green!  Yay!  We’re so lucky!

Mommy, do you think we’ll make that green light?  Nope…there it’s turning yellow.  We’ll need to wait our turn.

Mommy, I see the light over there turning yellow.  We’re going to get to go soon!

Where are those people going?  They just turned.

Those people must be going farther than we are.  They're not getting off the interstate.

Mommy, is the policeman giving that person a ticket?  Will they go to jail?  Do you get to bring your toys?

And so on…and on…and on.  I actually think it’s really cute, and pretty darn fun.  I just have to ask the girls to pipe down on occasion.  There are times when Mommy needs to concentrate on being the front-seat driver.  I can only handle so many questions from the backseat at a time!

Turn Around, Bright Eyes

It’s been almost a month since we made the switch, and I’m just now writing about it.  Honestly, it was a very bittersweet transition, one I had a really hard time embracing.  Hubby was adamant that it was time, though, and I’ve finally become a little more comfortable with it.

At four years and a little over a month old, we turned the girls’ carseats to face forward.

When the girls were born, the guidelines were consistent for forward-facing…one year old AND twenty pounds.  Our girls didn’t hit the 20 pound mark for quite some time after their first birthday…and by then there was talk about rear-facing until age two.

Before their second birthday, though, I began to read research, much of it cited from other countries, about the benefits of extended rear-facing.  I couldn’t get some particularly graphic images out of my mind, and I vowed to keep the girls rear-facing “as long as possible”.

I didn’t have a specific “goal” in mind, but I knew I’d make the switch before they started kindergarten.

The challenge for our family was that the rear-facing seats didn’t allow the front seats to be adjusted very far back from the dashboard.  That made it extremely uncomfortable – and dangerous – for my husband to drive, and maybe even to ride so close to the airbag.

Our girls are now four.  They’re bigger, and taller, and stronger.  On the growth chart, they are close-to-average, or above, in some cases.  I didn’t give my husband my blessing when he turned their seats around…but I didn’t outright refuse him.

There.  I said it.  And it’s OK.  I know we’ve waited a long time to make this transition, and I’m pretty comfortable with it.

And now I have to share some of the “funny” that’s come with this switch.  The girls were seeing the front of the car for the first time ever…at four years old…and their questions and observations were downright hilarious.

They were fixated on all the buttons, and they had to ask what each of them did.  And then, “Why do you have the keys there?”  They were asking about the ignition!

For a long time, they were focused on the direction indicator on the rear-view mirror.  “Mommy, we’re going north!”  “Mommy, ‘S’ is for south!”  “Mommy, what is ‘NE’?”  “Mommy, why did it change?”

They’ve been very interested in the mirrors, too, wanting to understand why we have mirrors in the car.

And the funniest was when it was raining a couple of weeks ago when we were coming home from school.  I was really alarmed to hear the screech from the back seat: “Mommy!  It’s going FAST!!!!!  Mommy, they’re going to hit each other!!!!!”

My heart dropped as I scanned frantically for an impending accident.

It took me a couple of seconds to realize the girls were just commenting on the windshield wipers.  The rain had hastened, and they sped up to keep pace.

Whew.  Deep breaths…and some laughs…as we embrace this new direction.

13 Years

...that's all the time I have left until these girlies are going to want a Corvette of their very own.  On a positive note, they've already said they'll be willing to share...but the thought of them driving anything that doesn't have peddles and require a helmet makes me sweat!


Yesterday we took the girls to the National Corvette Museum. 

The girls were super excited, having seen the iconic yellow dome and red cylinder many times from the interstate.

Our first stop was the diner, for some locally-made ice cream.  (I think Baby A was trying to show me "Thumbs up!")

And then we were ready to begin our trip down Route 66, stopping for plenty of photo opps along the way, of course.

This was just a neat bench...but for some reason the girls jump at any opportunity to sit on a bench!

And here, another bench!

This was a really cool picture collage.  The girls got a kick out of seeing it from afar, and then looking at the thousands of tiny pictures that comprised it.

This is my favorite picture of the day..."Stand in front of that muscle car and show me your muscles," I told them.  Apparently we need to work on our bodybuilder stance.  (One of my Facebook friends guessed they were being monkeys, and one said it reminded her of the Chicken Dance...both valid observations...HA!!!)

I was disappointed there weren't more hands-on exhibits (but I couldn't complain too much as we got into the museum for free, as part of Teacher Appreciation Week).  The girls' favorite part of the day was the 2012 display model.

Baby B jumped in, ready to GO!  Thankfully her feet were a long way from being able to put the pedal to the metal.

Baby A got a turn to "drive" as well, and then turned her attention to the sound system.  By that point, I think B was checking out the heated seat options.  

We had a fun afternoon, enjoying a little slice of Americana.