a peek inside the fishbowl

27 Feb, 2012

I might be rewriting my resume very soon

Posted by andrea tomkins in: Easy ways to make kids happy|sanity saving parent tips

When I was about five my parents got me on tape describing – in all seriousness – what parents do all day. I announced that fathers work and mothers wash dishes. I was reminded of this recently while reading a post over at Mary Lynn’s blog.

Sidebar: I think interviewing your kids is a very fun way of preserving a sweet memory. A couple years ago when we were stuck in a hospital waiting room with Sarah’s split lip we came up with a few top ten lists to pass the time. It was actually quite revealing to discuss ten things we like to do as a family, ten things we loved about a family vacation and the ten things we missed about home, and our top ten favourite desserts.

But the interview I decided to undertake with the girls this weekend was a little different. With no prompting from me whatsoever, I asked the girls separately what topics they thought Mark and I were experts at. Here is what they said.

Sarah said that daddy is an expert at:

  1. Editing videos
  2. Barbecuing
  3. Making apple crumble
  4. Shovelling snow
  5. Hugging
  6. Science
  7. Driving
  8. Getting good things at the grocery store [ed. "good" includes cookies, chips, ice cream, and/or all of the above.]
  9. Helping out on school projects
  10. Jokes [ed: ??]

… and I am an expert at:

  1. Arts and crafts
  2. Blogging
  3. Journalism
  4. Cuddling and hugging
  5. Cooking
  6. Thinking of good ideas and places to go
  7. Dog and pet care
  8. Hula Hooping on the Wii [ed. okaaaaay]
  9. Helping our community
  10. Ponytails [ed: ??]

Emma said Mark is an expert at:

  1. Birds
  2. Using a video camera
  3. Editing
  4. Teaching
  5. Directing
  6. Managing money [ed: can you tell we've been talking a lot about his work lately?]
  7. Parenting
  8. Golf
  9. Making people happy
  10. Video games

… and that I am an expert at:

  1. Parenting
  2. Blogging
  3. Journalism
  4. Photography
  5. Art
  6. Swimming
  7. Poetry and story writing
  8. Making the family happy
  9. Making up songs on the spot
  10. Trying and learning new things

Isn’t that funny? It’s insightful in a really neat way. I’m quite pleased with their lists!

If you decide to do this with you kids (whether you blog about it or not) please come back and leave me a comment. I’d love to see what they come up with!

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9 Responses to "I might be rewriting my resume very soon"

1 | Cinamongirl17

February 27th, 2012 at 8:59 am

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That is sweet! My parents also taped me (audio) playing with my toys when I was about 3, the tape was about an hour long and boy was it hilarious!! I played it for my daughter recently and she was laughing and amazed at the same time at the fact that yes Mom was 3 yrs old once!

My daughter uses my husband’s Iphone constantly making little movies of herself and things around her, it is fun to watch. I think I’ll asking her your question tonite and see what she comes up with!

2 | Mary Lynn

February 27th, 2012 at 9:06 am

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That is awesome, and I’m thrilled that my post inspired it. I love the interview idea. Definitely planning to use that as a fun way to while the way the time on our drive up to the Ottawa area during March Break.

I did note, however, that neither you nor Mark have zombie-killing listed as an area of expertise. So if you need a hand with that one, just let me know…

3 | Rosemary Nickerson

February 27th, 2012 at 9:06 am

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Out of the mouths of babes….they don’t understand what, or why to edit and so we get the unabridged version of everything they think and then say. Love it.
Rosemary

4 | Arlene

February 27th, 2012 at 9:34 am

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My kids are 17 and almost-15 now – I think I would be afraid to ask! But I recently went away on a 2-week trip. My son’s first e-mail to me read: “Don’t worry about us. We’re fine. But I miss you, especially when it comes to food and hugs.” The priorities of a 15-year-old . . .

5 | Chantal

February 27th, 2012 at 10:17 am

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I love that and I totally need to do that with my kids.

6 | Kathleen

February 27th, 2012 at 1:23 pm

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Very, very sweet.

7 | Short but Sweet « The Mommy Years

February 27th, 2012 at 2:23 pm

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[...] you read Andrea’s post today, she asked her daughters to write down what they thought she and her husband were good at.  A [...]

8 | Loukia

February 27th, 2012 at 9:04 pm

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Oh, awesome! I’m going to ask my nous tomorrow! Fingers crossed my list is half as good as yours! :)

9 | binki

March 1st, 2012 at 4:33 pm

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I asked one of my kids last night. Very good lists were provided. I too got “Trying and learning new things” which made me mucho happy / proud.

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My name is Andrea and I live in the Westboro area of Ottawa with my husband Mark and our two daughters Emma (15) and Sarah (13). I am the editor of the Kitchissippi Times, Capital Parent Newspaper, and a regular contributor to MediaSmarts.ca. I am a longtime Ottawa blogger, and I've occupied this little corner of the WWW since 1999... which makes me either a total dinosaur or a veteran, I'm not sure which! The Fishbowl is my whiteboard, water cooler, and journal, all rolled into one. I'm passionate about healthy living, arts and culture, family travel, great gear, good food, and sharing the best of Ottawa for families. I also love vegetables, photography, gadgets, and great design.

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