"A Teacher and a Mom"

This is what Gracie answers when she's asked what she wants to be when she grows up.  I wonder if she's familiar with teachers and moms...?  :)  I take it as the best compliment one could receive.  Oh, and this picture was a request from Gracie.  She wants to frame it and put it in her room.

Speaking of (me) being a teacher and a mom, I don't think I've recorded Gracie's "Personal Safety Lesson" story yet, so here it is, recorded for posterity:

One day this fall I heard from other moms that they were talking to their young kids about personal safety:  Good Touch vs. Bad Touch.  Feeling like I may be behind on giving this lesson, I started an educational conversation one night while the kids were bathing.

I asked Josh and Grace if they knew any good touches...hugs, high fives, snuggles came up.  I then asked them if they knew of any bad touches.  "Hitting," was the only answer I got.  :)  So then, like a good mom, I started talking about our "swimming suit areas" and told them that no one should touch these areas, that they were private.  It was a thrilling and educational conversation--the kids were enthralled, talking about swim suits and high fives.  :)

So the next morning, while Gracie and I were snuggling, I thought it would be a good idea to see if she remembered what we'd talked about the night before.  I asked her if she remembered good touches--yes.  Then I asked if she remembered what bad touches were.  Of course, being an older sister, she remembered HITTING.  "Yes, and do you remember those places that no one should touch?"

Her eyes rolled to the corners of their sockets, deep in thought.  After a few seconds her eyes lit up with recollection and she breathed:  "Animal traps!"

I think we'll try the Personal Safety Lessons again in a few months...  :)