Things six-year olds do and say

Making funny faces: a six-year old thing!

Ever since Juliette was born, it has been hard for me to imagine the next step, the next age.  It seems like the next year's age is a different species.  And from 0 to 6 it surely is an amazing range of phases and personalities.  When she was one and we had a picnic with a four-year old, the "big" girl seemed giant!  Her parents made the opposite comment as they noticed Juliette, reminiscing about the cute aspects of that age.  And even now when I see kids who are a few years older than Juliette, I am always amazed that they are still small, still young at heart. It's like in my mind I think they turn into adults at age nine or something.

But no!  Six (and a half, to be precise) is still a child.  Still very childish at times.  It's not because she's learning to read and write and do 'rithmetic that she's all of a sudden wildly mature.  We can reason with her on some things, and others, not even close.

Take bath time.  She knows she has to take a bath or sponge bath or shower every day.  This doesn't stop her from protesting nine times out of ten.  The other night she was truly sobbing with me trying to explain that at the beginning of the bath she doesn't like it, and at the end she doesn't want to get out.  The trials and tribulations of grade school children are really just awful.

So here is a list of things that my six-year old does and says that seem to be hallmarks of this age.  Let's get it down for historical purposes.  As in, I can torture her when she has her own funny first-grader at home. 

Things we fight about
It is getting better.  But there are still things that provoke mini-fits.  Here's a quick list:

• that we didn't have enough time to play that day
• that she doesn't have a unicorn toy
• that I won't sleep all night in her bed ("I'm all alone in my room and you have papa!")
• when and how many episodes of Arthur we can watch on youtube.  We discovered this PBS cartoon by chance one day and now she's addicted.  It's good for her English and the stories always have a good message.
• going to her kids' Zumba class. She always likes it once she's there, but sometimes she gives me trouble about it beforehand.
• any toy that she wants and that I'm not buying her.  Her new favorite mantra is "It's the last thing I'll ask you for."

Things she plays
This girl loves being an animal.  She has both cheetah and lion costumes, plus a faux fur vest that we call the wolf vest.  Imaginary games where she is a captured animal and I am her owner are the big thing now.  Besides that there are the classics like Lego, Playmobil, her dolls, and toy cars.

It's a jungle out there.

Just 1/100th of all her toys.

Things she collects
It's amazing how once she started first grade she came home with little bits and baubles in her pockets.  First it was marbles, apparently a hot game at recess.  Within a week she knew how to play and was bringing new marbles home every day.  Then there is the elastic bracelet craze, all those Kinder surprise toys, pictures of Disney princesses, or beads she found on the floor.  I think we need a huge printer's box to store all these mini-things.


Things she's whining about
More than toddler tantrums, the six-year old knows that her greatest weapon is the "whine".  Parents will do just about anything to stop that noise.  Her major triggers are varied but all equally important to her.  This list includes but is not limited to:

• I don't have a loose tooth.
• Your birthday is before mine.
• I'm not seven!
• I didn't see the cuckoo come out of the clock.
• Papa ate some of my Valentine's chocolate.

Things she says
I honestly have to write these down more often, because there are some zingers.  This is just a sampling.

• When I'm combing her hair (at her request), "Super cool.  So relaxin'!".
• "I have to keep my hands out of the blanket to read my book.  It's not cozy!"
• "Don't sleep with papa, he has microbes." 
• When I explain that my last name used to be different and now I have papa's, "What's your next last name going to be?"
• "I love MamieLin (her grandma and my mom) because she has pretty hair and she draws so well, especially rats." "You mean mice?" "Yeah, mice."
• I say I love you in the car just because.  "I love you, too," she replies. Then after a beat, she asks "Why did you say that?"
• I tell her she's acting like a teenager.  "I'm not a teenager," she says right away.  Then later, "What's a teenager?"

But what I love about this age is that she is becoming so much more aware of the world.  We can have real conversations about life and even death and she can amaze us with her wisdom.  And mostly, I'm still glad my little girl is still little.  She still loves hugs and bedtime stories and surprises us with her sweetness.  

One day I forgot to hug her when I dropped her off at daycare during the vacation period. I felt bad about it all day.  I told her about it in the evening and she reached her arms out to hug me at the dinner table.  The next day I noticed she was standing solidly next to the sign-in table as I was about to leave to remind me to hug her.  She didn't want me to forget this time! 

And I hope I won't forget what a joy six can be, despite some little frustrations that go with the territory.  

Likin' this American girl...

I'm gonna brag a little here. I'm just so proud of my little girl. This year has been monumental in her language development in both languages. She'll rattle off in French when she feels like it. But of course I'm more impressed when she tells me full, comprehensible sentences in English. Sometimes she comes out with some real zingers, like:

"Mommy, you're being whiny today."

"Let's get cozy on the couch."

"Put your hands in your pockets and they'll get nice and warm."

I just love it when she uses those little phrases like "kinda" and "pretty much". I feel like she's picked up the essence of the language even if sometimes the tenses aren't all where they could be. She's doing fine!

I know I've said it before, but I really credit Walt Disney and my Internet TV provider (SFR) which allows us to get the Disney channel in English. I think watching her favorite cartoons helps increase her vocabulary. And the DVDs we can get in English, too. Plus Sesame Street and the fact that Remi is willing to speak in English with her.

Here she is dancing to the Hot Dog Dance they do on the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.




And frankly I'm delighted to be able to speak in my native language with my favorite little person on earth. It really is something lovely to share. And somehow it makes me feel like I've got a little ally here. A piece of home right next to me.

Now, as I write she's in my lap begging me to go see the carousel that's in town, so I'll have to sign out!

Nearly three

I think I've always enjoyed three-year olds. They are fun creatures. Delightful, despite their continuing tendency to have a tantrum or two. Little pint-sized humans that giggle and dance and say biggish sentences in their unbelievably small voices. I enjoy Juliette at this age (not that I didn't before). I like teaching her about the world and seeing how she processes it. And how she repeats things she hears me saying, mannerism and all.

Tuesday morning we didn't have a lesson at my school (hard to find teachers who aren't on vacation in July, I think), and I was happy to spend the time with Juju. I'm more conscious of appreciating my time with her now that I have less of it. So it was off to the bakery for a loaf of bread and a pain au chocolat that we shared on the way to the the little playground nestled in the trees. We were alone there except for some teen girl who kept sending texts on her phone. I tried to teach Juliette how to pump her legs as she was swinging. We've still got work to do but she did like repeating "up and bend" as she swung. That look of pure joy on her face as she went up and down, leaning her head back to look at the leaves above is just priceless. I swung beside her and looked up at the trees, too. Being at the playground in the cool of the morning and staring up at the sky brought me back to my own childhood and similar, blurry memories. When the air is fresh and life seems limitless. Oh, to be three again, not a worry in the world.

She's also entering that DVD mania stage. While my mom was here she bought a few pre-birthday gifts for Juliette of some DVDs that will play on our French-bought system. (Ones from the US have to be played on the computer.) So now my little one often asks for Pinnocchio or Nemo or Chim-chiminey (Mary Poppins) and Strawberry Shortcake (the older ones, thank you. The new CG characters remind of Manga girls or preteens who hang out at the mall. But that's just me. No, it isn't, check out this like-minded blogger!). It's amazing how she can get so absorbed in these, though her attention span is still short and she will take her Dora book at the same time. We can watch all these DVDs in English by the way.

She's definitely more little girl than baby now. Longer body, of course. Much more hair than this time last year, often curly. The sitter wonders if she'll be taller than me when she grows up. Juliette looks at clothes in the shops and says "That's cute," and again I know that comes frome me. She's also a little Monkish: if she sees dirt on the floor, she'll tell me to "clean it up!" I can't tell you how tickled I am to hear her saying so many things in English at home. It helps that Remi is willing to converse in English with her, too.

So an early happy birthday to my little one! May three be a great year for us all!

A little person lives here

A little person lives here.

And her toys cover every surface.



Her little shoes line the walls (these are only about half of them).



I'm a giant next to her. For she can make a feast at the end table.



And because she's little she can get away with wearing candy-striped tights and hats with cat ears.



She can play endlessly with bouillon cubes.



But is equally at ease with her mommy's toys.



A little person lives here, but she's growing every day.

One day she'll be a big girl. One day she'll move away.

But for now she lets me share her world. And my life will forever be better because of my little girl.