Tag Archives: Tanya H. Franklin

Mommy’s Monday Moments: Immortal Thoughts from a Mortal

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“What’s that say?” My little girl points to the park bench that has two separate plaques honoring loved ones who passed away. “He was our Pop Pop Al…A special storyteller…our friend…Al Kaplan.” I paused as I reached the dates corresponding with his life and death. Though I do not know this man, nor his wife Ann, who’s name was present on a separate plaque, many thoughts ran through my mind pertaining to how loved they must have been, my own mortality as well as my husband’s and even my daughter’s. The phrase, “You’re not promised tomorrow” may be trite, but it is very true. Both people lived over 80 years, which is truly a blessing because there are some people who may not even make it to eight years old or even eight days old, so I try not to take my life or the lives of others for granted.

Knowing that my daughter will be turning three tomorrow on May 3rd makes me eternally grateful. I lover her so much and have learned a great deal from her. One of those important lessons is to prioritize. While I do enjoy teaching and strive to put forth my best effort, my family is even more important to me. I’ve been blessed to have a flexible work schedule that allows me to spend more time with my daughter than the average parents do. Some people have no choice but to enroll their children into daycare when they are as young as six weeks, but my husband and I have works schedules that allow Quinn to stay at home. Watching her grow so quickly and knowing that I am a mere mortal and have no idea of how long I will be in her life or she will be in mine does make me a little contemplative, but instead of focusing on the depressing what-ifs, I thank God that we have each other right now and pray that all we’ve taught each other and the memories we have together will become immortal.

All the best,

Tanya

Simple Sundays: “Sleepovers Are Great!” Says My Little Girl

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2016-04-30 21.12.24

Ready to Have a Fun Sleep Over!

I loved having sleepovers when I was younger. My daughter, who will be three in just two days, loves sleepovers too. One main difference, however, is that I had my sister, who is just 18 months older than I am, but Quinn is an only child, so having someone come to spend the night is even more special to her. A couple of months ago, I posted an entry about the close relationship my little girl has with her big cousin and how she simply adores her. Having her spend the night on Saturday into Sunday was a huge ordeal. My niece, who is actually six years older, is so good with Quinn. They had fun playing games, watching a movie and eating popcorn together and just keeping each other company. Though going somewhere can be fun, just waking up together this Sunday morning, having breakfast and playing together was enough to put smiles on both of their faces. As the saying goes, “Sometimes it’s the simple things that bring us the most happiness.”

All the best,

Tanya

What Would We Do Without It Wednesdays: Determination, Persistence and Patience

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“I did it, Mommy! Did you see me? I did it!” my little girl excitedly informs me. Whether it’s doing one of the skills of the day at The Little Gym or putting her shoes on the correct feet all by herself, I’ve proudly observed how determined, persistent and patient she can be. I often hear people remark about the most recent generations and how they do not work as hard or often want instant gratification without putting in the work, and I do not want my daughter to fall into this category.

Sometimes, my daughter, who will be three in less than a week, will grow frustrated and whine a little if she’s having difficulties putting on her shirt, doing a puzzle or building a tower after advising me that she can do it herself, but this is only natural, especially at her age. I do, however, love that regardless of how flustered she becomes, Quinn will keep on trying or realize that she may need a little help. My hope is that my daughter will continue to be determined, persistent and patient as she learns new tasks and skills because they’re not only important towards her current development, but these attributes will, in part, shape who she becomes as an adult. What would we do without these attributes?

All the best,

Tanya

 

Terrific Toy Tuesday: Learning About Cash Can Register at a Young Age

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2016-03-07 10.19.53“That’ll be five dollars, Mommy!” my daughter informs me as she presses the number five on her toy cash register. My-soon-to-be three year old loves shopping at Target and really enjoys pretending to be a cashier at home. When she was about a year and a half, I purchased her a little “Let’ Go Shopping Cash Register” from Lakeshore Learning. It comes with milk, juice, little fruits and vegetables, an area for weighing the fruit and a little basket, an even a scanner to ring up items. There’s a few coins and a little toy credit card she swipes to open the register drawer.

Cash RegisterWhat I love about this cash register is that it has multiple settings. One is for basic play, one that allows the child to add, divide, subtract and multiply, another presents questions, asking, “How many milks do you have?” or “How many strawberries are you purchasing.” It is a great toy to enhance Quinn’s vocabulary and to help her further understand the importance of a dollar. I wish I had a toy cash register this advanced when I was younger. Watching my daughter make decisions while “play” shopping and counting her change is awesome because I believe one is never too young to understand the concept of money and all that it encompasses.

All the best,

Tanya

Mommy’s Monday Moments: My Little Back Seat Driver is Moving Forward

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Waiting to Pick up Daddy at the Train Station

“The light’s green, Mommy! Let’s go” my little girl instructs me. Just a few months ago, she went from rear facing in her car seat to forward, and a whole new world opened up for her – well for me too. I used to drive along with minimal conversation from her. She might have remarked about a car or dog she saw out of her window, but now, she observes any and everything. As soon as she hops into her car seat, the chatter starts and doesn’t end until we reach our destination or she falls asleep after having fun and feeling exhausted.

“Why are you stopping? Oh, I see the light is red! The light is green. Why aren’t we going?” she inquires. A car comes near us, she will insist, “Let’s race, Mommy! Don’t let them pass us. We have to win!” I’m not too sure where she got this idea from, but it got me thinking about how just from having her seat reversed from backward to forward, she developed an eyeopening perspective.

My husband delayed turning Quinn’s seat forward, as the manufacturer and safety experts encourage people to keep them rear-facing as long as possible. He initially did not believe my theory about our daughter talking more, almost non-stop, as a result or her seat change. Then, he admitted a couple of days ago that I was right and jokingly said that he was considering turning her chair back to rear-facing because she talked his ears off and asked so many questions.

This experience really got me wondering about  how many of us are in a “rear-facing” position in life or a backward line of thinking and who are waiting to be mature enough or just bold enough to reverse our positions to forward thinking. There just may be a world out there that we didn’t even know existed because we just couldn’t see what was in front of us.

All the best,

Tanya

 

 

Simple Sunny Sunday Sayings From My Little Girl

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“Look at me, Mommy! I’m going up and down on the see-saw with no hands.” My little girl exclaimed. Then with a tickled look on her face, she said, “You can do it too Mommy! You just have to be careful and balance when we go up and down.”  Though just about everyday my soon-to-be three year old has some wisdom to bestow, on Sundays, I often reflect on what I have learned from her. As we went up and down on the see-saw, singing Quinn’s made-up song, “Let’s go up; now lets go down!” it brought out the child in me.

Later, I reflected on the ups and downs that occur in life and how I must sometimes hold on and endure the ride, and other times I must be brave enough, like my little girl, to go hands-free and let loose a little, especially when I may not have any control over the situation. Sometimes, what appears to be disconcerting to adults is just a walk in the park or ride on the see-saw to children. I’ll have to keep this in mind and maybe even apply this analogy as Quinn gets older and experiences some ups and downs.

All the best,

Tanya

What Would We Do Without It Wednesdays: Dealing With Adversity at a Young Age

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“Look at my tower, Mommy! It’s so tall! Take a picture please!” My little girl exclaimed, and then swat! A little boy who has the tendency to display aggression knocked down my little girl’s lego masterpiece with a grin on his face. With a disappointed look on her face and sound in her voice, she said, “Mommy, he knocked down my tower!” I tried to console her letting her know that she can rebuild it again, but each time she would the little boy would knock it down and even throw some of the lego pieces. She even moved a few times to avoid the demolition of her tower, but as soon as she started smiling and admiring her work, he’d swoop in and knock it down. His grandmother, abashed, made abortive attempts to get him to say sorry, but he refused and even tore down the tower as his grandmother helped Quinn to put it back together.

This was not the first time my soon-to-be three year old experienced a child being aggressive towards her; nevertheless, each time it happens, I feel like it’s happening to me. I feel my heart beating faster and sinking to the pit of my stomach as my little girl turns to me and inquires, “Why does he keep doing that? Why is he being mean to me, Mommy?” Quinn is sensitive and a genuinely sweet child who rarely is mean or aggressive towards other children, just like I was as a child, so when I observe a kid doing something mean to her it is difficult for me to step back and give her a chance to handle it. She’s currently not in school, so she really does not know how to take it when kids are mean towards her for what usually is no apparent reason.

While these experiences do conjure up some negative emotions and cause me to reflect on the struggle I had as a child dealing with aggressive children, I know it is necessary for Quinn to occasionally face adversity as it will help her be a well-rounded individual who is able to problem-solve and communicate effectively even when someone else is not. Though I do not miss having kids be aggressive and mean towards me, I know it helped to make me stronger. Also, knowing that I had the support of family and friends helped too. As my little girl gets older and will have to face various levels of adversity, including aggressive children and possibly bullies, I hope that I and our entire family are able to give her the proper support so that she too may grow into a well-rounded, strong person who can find the positive in people and situations and then learn from them.

All the best,

Tanya

Terrific Toy Tuesday: Not Too Puzzling for My Little Girl Has It Under Her Spell

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As an educator and lifelong learner, I can’t help but want my daughter to have some educational toys that stimulate her cognitive development. What’s wonderful is when she has fun and embraces learning too. I stumbled upon the perfect puzzle that does just that at Five Below. It comes with picture puzzles that spell words. What makes this a great resources is that it not only promotes spelling but critical thinking by having just one letter on each puzzle piece with a portion of the picture. Though the box says for children four and up, my soon to be three year old has been enjoying doing these puzzles shortly after she turned two. Now, with little to no assistance from me, she is often able to complete the puzzle and will use the picture to determine what the word spells. I love observing her say, “C-a-r spells car! I spelled car Mommy!”

Some people may frown upon the idea of a child Quinn’s age learning to spell, but as long as she is interested I will encourage it and applaud her efforts as the proud mommy and teacher. I’m so grateful that my little girl will actually request to play with this puzzle and many others that are similar.

All the best,

Tanya

Mommy’s Monday Moments: My Little Sprout is Growing Up!

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My little girl loves flowers and plants and enjoys helping me water them, so I purchased her a little plant to grow all on her own. It was actually grass that grows in as little as seven days so that she can see the growth process in a short duration of time.

My soon-to-be three year old insisted that we take pictures so that we could see how much her plant grows, which made me think about all of the pictures I’ve taken of her since she was born and how she’s growing up so quickly, physically, mentally and emotionally. We planted her little seedlings a day before I left town for a work-related event, and when I returned just a few days later, the grass was already sprouting up an inch or so. Seven days later, and the grass is  so tall that it needs a trim, which Quinn is eager to do.

Each day since we potted our little grass seeds, my daughter will ask to see her plant and inform me, “We have to keep it in the window so that it gets sun and water it when it’s thirsty, right Mommy!” This plant is not only a wonderful opportunity for her to learn about life and taking care of plants, but it is a terrific representation of my little girl. With proper nourishment and love my little sunshine is growing up so quickly, and it is up to her father and me to “groom” her as necessary so that she may grow into a lovely young lady.

All the best,

Tanya

Simple Sundays Sayings from My Little Girl

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2016-04-11 17.57.41Some of the best shows involve children from “Kids Say the Darnedest Things” to Steve Harvey’s new show, “Little Big Shots.”  My little girl, who will be three in the coming weeks, often amazes me with her displays of wisdom that are far beyond her years. Just the other day when she saw that I was upset, she said, “It’s okay mommy. Just take a deep breath and use your imagination. Imagine that you’re happy!” She reminded me that it all starts in the mind. There are times when I allow the little things to impact my day in a negative way. Then, there are times when it carries on and snowballs throughout the course of the day. Focusing on the positive and even imagining that I’m happy actually does work. It puts me in a better mindset and makes me feel good inside.

Now if only Quinn would take heed to her own advice when she is upset because she can’t get that toy she wants when we go shopping or frustrated because she’s having a difficult time doing something. I’m confident that as she becomes older she will be able to imagine that happy and calm place from within and we will share wise advice to one another.

All the best,

Tanya