5-Year Old Scheduling

We have family coming to town for Thanksgiving. We are delighted about that, especially since it involves three little ones. We enjoy the big ones too!

As we are getting ready for their visit there has been a flurry of emails and even a few telephone calls. One such email started a series of responses. Our daughter said, "I'll send you our schedule so you know what we have planned." JoAnn and I both responded with would you do a schedule for us so we know what we are doing? Of course it was all in fun, but it got me to thinking what would it be like if the children (ages 4, 3, and 1) put the schedule together? I decided to stick to the 4-year old, who will turn 5 while she is here. And I will just do one day, with parental interpretations.

7:00 am - There are toys at this house I haven't seen for a year. I wonder where Grandma hid them? [Parent - Can't they sleep in just one day?]

7:20 am - I can't play alone, I need my brother and sister to help. [Are these really my children?]

8:00 am - Look, Grandma is up. I don't have to go check on her today. [Mom's up, I can roll over and go back to sleep.]

8:30 am - Wow, breakfast, and at our very own table. We can even watch television. If I'm lucky they have got Scooby-do! [Food, and I don't have to make it, what a good deal.]

{Editor's note - For the convenience of space I've abstracted the original schedule, which had 3.5 minute increments and a little more hysteria from the parents.}

8:45 - Time to go to the park. Can I talk Grandpa into taking all of us? [please Dad, take them to the park and preferably the one an hour away!]

10:15 - Time for a morning snack. Why does Grandpa look tired? I wonder if Mom and Dad are here? I haven't seen them all day. [They are back already?]

11:00 - It's boring, all the big people want to do is talk. Let's go somewhere, anywhere, but let's go! [It's only 11 am, it's going to be a long day!]

Okay, you get the idea. I'm of the mind this world would be a lot more fun world if we let our kids plan our schedules, at least until they became teenagers. Looking through the eyes of a 5-year old is refreshing and a little frightening, but we would all do good to spend a little time using their lens of reality once in a while.

I'm actually looking forward to the excitement, hysteria, frenzy and enthusiasm of having 3 little ones for a few days. Of course I'm thinking about taking a few days off after they leave to recover.