A couple years ago, just before football season, I ordered each of my sweet babies an orange megaphone and some blue and orange shakers. Jessa was way more into them at the time, but I wanted them each to have them. The shakers have been lots of fun off and on since we got them, but the megaphones were not initially a big hit. They have been in the bathtub a time or two (not sure what that was about), but overall, they have not gotten much use. Until now. . .
They have fallen in love with these megaphones! They use them to magnify their voices, as they were intended, but they have many other uses.
Some of them may surprise you. For example, did you know that you can eat things through them? Yes, you can! Hold the small end to your mouth and drop a piece of pasta down the large end and every once in a while, the food actually makes it into your mouth. Wow! It also is a nice telescope when you are looking for something or someone. Spencer took it with him to pick Jessa up from school, and we may never have located her on the playground without his "telescope." You can march around and use it as a horn, while at the same time beating on it with a stick. Voila, Spencer is a one man band!
Or you can use it to help you hear better.
It also resembles a volcano if you place it on the table with the big side down. Thankfully, they are satisfied with imaginary lava so far.
A megaphone can be a lovely hat - or stick a whisk in it and apparently it becomes a "cooker hat."
Spencer even pushed his around in a stroller - now that's love, right?
The most interesting time we have had with the megaphones was at supper the other night. We were all 4 sitting at the table. And not unexpectedly, Jessa and Spencer each had their megaphones with them at their places at the table. Well, do you think we were able to have a nice dinner with the megaphones simply resting on the table? Of course not! Megaphones are meant to be USED!
I will pause here to say that yes, many parents would have demanded that the megaphones not come to supper or not be utilized. However, I am firmly in the "pick your battles" camp. I do not care what they have with them as long as they are seated at the table with the family and actually eat something!
It started out innocent and relatively quiet. Jessa would ask Spencer for something while speaking at a normal level through her megaphone. And it was a subtle change each time one of them spoke into their megaphones, but their voices became a little louder with each use. Before I knew it, I was about to go through the roof, and I did not know why. Then I realized it was because my sweet angels were practically screaming at each other through their megaphones. All of the sudden, I had had it. I was so frustrated and so tense. I raised my voice (in order to be heard over their magnified voices), and said, "That is it! Put your megaphones down and eat your supper!" They both got quiet, and started to comply and put their megaphones down. It was at that moment that I caught David's eye. His head was turned away from us, and he was about to bust a gut trying to not laugh out loud. Then I stopped and thought about what I had just said. And I said, "Not something you ever expected to hear at the dinner table?" And he laughed out loud and said, "Exactly!" So then we all had a good laugh. Aren't megaphones fun?
Every day these monkeys keep us on our toes! And every day I say and do things I never thought I would! It is true what they say about how you do your best parenting before you have children. . .
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