Well, I'm sure there are a lot of contenders but for my five-year-old (or five-and-a-half-year-old to give him his FULL title), the most exciting thing when you are 5 is........................................................ having your bedroom furniture moved around!Having been met with squeals of delight when he discovered his first wobbly tooth recently, I honestly thought there could be no more excitement left until at least his sixth birthday. But then, bored of wondering whether I should tackle the ironing and looking frantically around for another distraction from that most tedious of chores, I suggested we move his bed to the other side of his room. He looked at me a little suspiciously. "Erm, no thanks mum. I like my bedroom like this."
Humph.
Undeterred, I convinced him that it would be great and while he had a bath I dragged and lifted and heaved and shoved and hoovered (couldn't help it - there was a shocking amount of dust behind the bed) and reorganised books and teddies and stood back to survey my work. It was good. Very good. It looked like a totally different room, but even I couldn't have predicted just how good this would be to his young eyes.
His newly arranged bedroom was greeted with what can only be described as absolute and utter, unadulterated, childish excitement. Whoops of joy, spinning around on the floor, screams of excitement for his little brother to come and look, jumping on the bed, turning lamps on and off - nothing at all was new, but to him it couldn't have been any better.
"Mummy," he beamed at me, arms uplifted in amazement, "This is a whole new day for me. A whole new day! This is the best day ever of my life. This is even better than having a wobbly tooth. It is just soooooooooooo cool. I can't believe it. I just can't believe it!"
Proof, if proof were ever needed that you literally do not have to spend one cent to bring your children untold pleasures and, what is more, concrete evidence that you should never, ever underestimate the power of a serious resistance to a pile of ironing.
This particular "treat" works on my husband too. Before I met him I never knew something as simple as changing the layout of a room could bring someone so much pleasure!
ReplyDeleteAnd, let's face it, would blogging have ever got off the ground if people weren't inventing strategies to avoid the ironing pile?
ReplyDeleteMine are thrilled when anything large is delivered, resulting in a large, empty box.
ReplyDeletea whole new day?! Blimey...I'm off to move my bed...it has to be a good feeling :)
ReplyDeleteThats lovely! What a little sweetie! xx
ReplyDeleteBless him!
ReplyDeleteLx
Imagine his excitement when you get around to doing up his bedroom when he gets to the big "7" and you might even let him choose the colour and perhaps posters. Ooh the thrill of it all!!!
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand..... what have you started, little brother may start getting ideas, then where will you be - spacewise.
Whats good for the goose etc. Good Luck
Such a sweet post. Be sure to show it to him the first time he takes the car without asking , bangs it up and says "Its no big deal, everyone does it " But then they turn 30 and get all sweet again worrying about YOU. Mommyhood is the best
ReplyDeleteso cute!
ReplyDeleteLOVE this. You could have been writing about me and my Mr 5, Charlie.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you little boy - we've always enjoyed moving house (9 times) and, when not moving house, moving the furniture comes a second best! Moving house is quite an expensive way to avoid the ironing though!!
ReplyDeleteYou make me want to go home and tell the Nanny to rearrange the nursery. :-) sweet. x
ReplyDeleteAhem, i don;t think it's a 5 thing. I've just rearranged the kitchen (oddly, there's a pile of ironing over there looking rather neglected) and I'm feeling the rush of at least three gins! Is this how removal men feel?
ReplyDeleteOh love it! So sweet. Can just picture him flicking the light on and off in pure excitement!
ReplyDelete