#92 - Let the kids make most of the decisions for an entire day

Somehow, this item on my 101 Goals in 1001 Days list turned into "Let the kids be in charge for an entire day." And today was that day...

When planning our meals on Friday, Ryan suggested brownies for breakfast. Kaylin quickly piped in, "OOOH! And I want ice cream for breakfast!" I decided it might be a good idea to set some boundaries. Breakfast food for breakfast, lunch food for lunch, dinner food for dinner. Also, the kids had to follow all of our House Rules, plus Mike and I were in charge of everything "safety" related. (cooking, picking up Jason, an adult had to be present for them to swim or ride bikes in the front yard, things like that)

For breakfast, Ryan requested crepes, but Mike talked him into wanting apple fritters, too. I passive-aggressively made some eggs and (thankfully!) everyone ate those to balance the sugar/carb overload.


Jason enjoyed a breakfast of mangos and his first kiwi.


With no one to stop her, Kaylin licked the icing off the fritter plate. Shortly after this picture was taken, the plate mysteriously disappeared into the sink and was rinsed off...


The kids took a mid-breakfast break to watch some t.v. before finishing their food. They also took a post-breakfast t.v. break. And pre-lunch...the t.v. was pretty much on all morning. (This is Kaylin dancing to the "we did it" song at the end of Dora.)


After a while, the kids took a break to color.


Then Kaylin asked if she could do her "homework" workbook. (I just realized her tongue is out in this picture...classic!)


After lunch, everyone swam.


After that, Jason went down for a nap and I snuck back into bed myself. I felt like I'd been drugged...I was so tired! After dragging myself out of bed two hours later, the rest of the (cool and breezy) afternoon consisted of riding bikes out front and swinging in the backyard. (While I was sleeping, it appears that Kaylin had a wardrobe change.)


Plus, some snacks from the garden.


This morning, Ryan asked if we could teach him to cook dinner, so the kids helped Mike make up hamburger patties and wrap the potatoes in foil. They lost interest by the time we were ready to prepare the corn on the cob.


While Mike grilled dinner, Kaylin played with her new-to-her, hand-me-down Princess laptop.


And the boys played soccer in the backyard. (By the way, to save face for my poor, former soccer playing husband, this was Mike missing a shot Ryan made into his goal, not Mike missing a ball that he attempted to kick.)


Jason basically spent the whole day playing on the floor and practicing his crawling stance, oblivious to the chaos happening around him.


We finished off the night with another swim, then ate black bean brownies with ice cream. (Kaylin helped me bake while Ryan played the Wii. Again.)


This day exhausted me. Because of the excessive t.v. watching, I was able to clean the whole house, do three loads of laundry and even rearrange and sweep the garage.

But as far as the little things (like clearing the table and picking up toys), I didn't realize how I've gotten SO used to the kids helping me all day! Today, I asked nothing of them.

After a cocktail (a rare treat for me, I prefer chewing my calories) and a long bubble bath, I am enjoying a quiet house as I recap our day. I will definitely do this experiment again, but probably not until next summer. Maybe it could be an annual end-of-the-summer tradition?

It was interesting to see how our teachings from 364 days of the year translated when the kids had (nearly) full decision making power. I had to remind Mike to "let go" several times today (too much honey on the crepes, no end in sight for the t.v.) but I really enjoyed having a day off from being the "No Nazi." (I just came up with that and it's exactly how I feel some days!!!)

Overheard in our house today...

Kaylin (with a sly smile): "After breakfast, Mommy and Daddy, YOU need to unload the DISHWASHER!"
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(The kids were arguing over who was going to sit next to Daddy during breakfast. Kaylin suggested he sit in the middle of them, Ryan was standing firm that he needed to only sit by Ryan.)
Mike (to Ryan): "Good leaders try to find ways to make everyone happy. It doesn't always work, but they try. Bad leaders try to take control and they don't care about other people. They are called, 'Dictators.' "
Me: (cracking up)
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Kaylin: "Daddy, you can have two donuts (apple fritters), then if you finish those, you can have another one."
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(Jason screaming for attention)
Mike: "Jason - NO screaming."
Ryan: "You can't say, 'no,' Daddy. You're not in charge today."
Me: "Who is the person in charge who's going to go give Jason some new toys so he stops screaming?"
Ryan: "I AM!!! I'm in charge of Jason today."
Kaylin: "Ryan, if Jason screams again, just tap him on the nose and say, 'No!'"
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Ryan: "We don't have to ask to be excused from the table today because we're in charge!"
Kaylin: "Yeah, THAT'S the rule!"
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Ryan: "After breakfast, we're going to ask Morgan to play. Because we can."
Kaylin: "Ha!"
Ryan: "You can't say, 'ha,' Kaylin. That's rubbing it in the face."
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Ryan: "Morgan, do you want to play the Wii?"
Morgan (whispering): "Shouldn't you ask your mom?" (she knows I usually say, "no" and suggest they play something creative)
Ryan: "Nope! I don't have to...I'm in charge today! What do you want to play?"
Morgan: (glances at me, I smile)
Morgan: "I don't care, what do you want to play?"
Ryan: "You get to choose. You're the guest."
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Ryan: "Mom, can you teach me how to make dinner tonight?"
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Kaylin: "Mom, can you teach me how to do braids in my hair all by myself? OOH!! And can you teach me how to drive?!?!"
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Ryan (coming into our bathroom before bed): "Dad, where's Mom?"
Me (from the bathtub): "Behind you."
Ryan (whipping around): "What?!!? Why are YOOOOOUUUU taking a BAAAAAATH?!?"
Me: "Because it's been that kind of a day, buddy."
Ryan: "And how come you get all of those bubbles? You'd better be careful and not burn your toes on those candles...maybe you should put your feet back in the water. Can I have a kiss before bed?"
(*kiss*)
Ryan (thinking): "One more?"
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(my favorite memory of the day)
Ryan: "Mom? What's the sign for 'love?' "
Me: "This..." (crossing my arms over my chest in an X)
Ryan: (pointed to himself, crossed his arms, then pointed to me)
Me: "I love you too, buddy..."