Today, as I was preparing dinner, Rebecca (superhero wife and mom) asked if any of the kids would like to help set the table. Julia (7), Ethan (6), and Christian (4) are assigned Monday through Wednesday and they usually do a pretty good job of setting the table on their day. Although they are sometimes willing to help on the off days, today was library day and they were all busy with their books. After Rebecca asked a few times and they all politely declined, Elliott (our two-year-old son) shouted "I set table." He then jumped off the couch and ran to join me in the kitchen. It was fun to watch this little superhero as he walked around the table with the dishes, placing each in its proper place.
In our house the placement of the cups can sometime be a source of contention. Certain children always want certain colors and the three Lego Movie cups are always highly coveted. Since Elliott was helping I figured I would let him pass them out any way he wanted. As he walked around the table I asked him which cup he thought each person would like. He then looked closely at each of his options and in a cute voice say "Julia like this one" or "Ethan like this one." He of course got one of the Lego Movie cups. However, when one of his siblings came in to the room, she wanted to trade cups. I informed her that because Elliott set the table, he got to pick who got which cup. Disappointed, she stomped off crying. Even though he really wanted the cup he had given himself, when Elliott saw how sad she was he offered to trade with her. I was so impressed that he did that all on his own, without any prompting or encouragement.
Today, Elliott was my superhero for being so eager to help me set the table and for being kind to his sister by offering to trade cups.
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