Four Going on Fourteen

I promise you, I only blinked. Just blinked- and Bubba is FOUR years old.Well, technically he's four going on fourteen.The attitude is real, my friends. Moms of toddlers, you get me.We celebrated in 4-year-old style after convincing him that he didn't need another construction themed birthday party WITH a backhoe... So instead we opted for playground time, friends from school and LOTS of bubbles. I mean, who doesn't love bubbles!?We, as a family, try really hard to give our children memories and experiences they can hang on to. There's only so much space for "stuff" in our home (and that space is becoming severely limited these days). It's really great when family and friends are able to help in those endeavors. Now, I've seen the "don't bring a gift bring a memory" type of directive for children's parties. Are we that extreme? Definitely not. Part of celebrating a birthday is the giving you do to honor another person. Who are we to decide how each person or family does that? Kids enjoy opening 'things' almost as much as they enjoy actually doing things. A healthy balance of both really helps our kids to understand the importance of showing gratitude for things you can hold and things you can feel with your heart. That's a hard lesson to teach otherwise and we're really fortunate that we have family that understands both sides of that coin.Which brings me to the current attitude dilemma we're experiencing. We have a son who is very verbal- that is to say homey talks a LOT and understands even more. I don't know why I'm surprised- if I look back on some of my previous blogs, he's had a lot to say in his short life thus far. The issue we're experiencing now is the sass that accompanies said vocabulary. Any suggestions? As a person who personally excels in the art of sarcasm, as does my husband, it does not surprise me that our offspring would have a bit of misdirected bite now and then. We're just lucky that right now it is mainly shared with us at home instead of with his teachers at preschool. Small miracles, am I right? So, enter the former teacher. We'll be starting a behavior sticker chart here at home this week.The areas we'll be focusing on include:-Speaking Politely-Listening the First Time-Keeping Our Hands to OurselvesIf you've been through this stage of life with your kiddos, I invite you to share your helpful tips below!Parenthood is definitely a marathon... NOT a sprint. Some days, I don't think I'm that great of a runner.Be great,M