I asked him what he was thankful for. He said: 'Nothing'. So I explained what thankful meant and gave him a few examples like his family, his home, the food he eats, his friends etc. I asked him whether he'd like to make a picture of any of those things. He said: 'No'. I asked if there was anything in the whole world he could think of that he was thankful for. He thought long and hard and decided on two things: toys and chocolate buttons.
So instead of a lovely sentimental picture, the type that makes you go 'Aww, let's put that in his keepsake box', we got a collage of toys cut out of last year's Christmas gift guides with an empty packet of chocolate buttons stuck on for 3D effect. I hope that the teacher will appreciate my hands off parenting attitude in letting him be entirely materialistic in his thanks-giving.
But the homework project got me thinking about things I am thankful for. Here's my list of just a few things I'm thankful for this week (luckily I don't have to cut and paste pictures to illustrate it):
I'm thankful that I misread the homework assignment due date and had it finished almost a week before it was due so that I can now sit back in smug mum fashion while the other mothers scurry about trying to convince their 4 year olds that they're thankful for something other than E-numbers and Cbeebies.
I'm thankful that our Romanian cleaner has at last returned from her long trip home. The house is clean again. Clean and sparkly and shiny and fresh smelling and dust bunnies no longer trip you up.
I'm thankful that I live in the internet age where with a few clicks of the mouse in the evening, I get a week's worth of groceries delivered into my kitchen by the lovely Ocado man the next morning.
I'm thankful that I was intelligent enough to take out insurance on my mobile phone without even realising that I'd done so. Because with two small children who like to hide things behind radiators and down toilets, it was only a matter of time before I needed to get a new one. I'm less thankful for the fact that I now have to plug in everybody's numbers again and figure out how to get the email function to work.
I'm thankful I don't have a TV crew following my every move ala The Family programme on the telly because I wouldn't come off at all well. Particularly when I'm dealing with my thousandth tantrum of the day (usually around bathtime) and my unruffled-mother exterior develops some gaping holes.
I'm thankful that typing was included as one of the subjects in my PR diploma so that I can type without looking at my fingers or bash away violently with only two fingers as per my husband's method.
I'm thankful that I've been given a get out of jail free pass for the first weekend in October in which I get to go to a spa with a girl friend, read trash magazines and talk shite. And drink wine. All with no children in tow.
I'm thankful that the pre-school committee meeting was only and hour and a half long on Tuesday evening.
I'm thankful for coffee. And cake.
I'm thankful that we managed to find something to take to show & tell today for the theme 'Something natural'. I'm even more thankful that I managed to convince my son that his remote controlled plastic, roaring dinosaur wasn't particularly natural and that he might do better to take some walnuts from the garden.
I'm thankful to our friend who went to South Africa last week and brought me biltong back as a treat! I'm less thankful that I've eaten the entire bag and now feel quite sick.
I'm thankful that this morning I got to have a shower, get dressed, blow dry my hair and put make up on (shock!) entirely on my own without having to break up fights, stop my mascara from being used as a paint brush or explain that my hairdryer is not a semi-automatic weapon.
I'm thankful that a friend offered to take son 2 to pre-school today giving me time to blog for the first time this week.
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