The Kids are Here!

We're officially outnumbered by kids.... at least for the next 30 days!

Our students moved in early this week. They arrived looking sleep-deprived and mildly worried. We piled into the truck and they took their seats next to Noah - who, in truly uncharacteristic fashion, buried his face in his hands and refused to make eye contact with his "new friends".

So much prep went into getting Noah ready. We made sure he understood the stay was temporary. Words like "visit" and "a few weeks" and "a little while" were very common. I focused on the impact on him, and tried to prepare myself to make these siblings feel welcome and part of our family - without confusing our son that they were here to stay forever.

"Will it be just like a sleepover, Mommy?" Yes, I thought. He gets it! 

What I didn't prepare him for was cultural differences. Like... knocking on the bathroom door before busting in. That was a thrill for him (not so much for the students) on day one.

I should have spent more time practising the kids' names with him - so he'd be an expert at addressing them properly. Instead, Noah's renamed the students Max and Ruby. He think's it's hilarious. Fortunately, he's slowly coming around to addressing them by their proper names.

The major humiliation came at dinner time. "Noah, please ask the kids what they would like to drink," "Okay Mommy!"

"Maaax, Ruuuby, what do you want for drink? We have water, milk, juice, and BEER. Do you want a BEER?"

Oh dear, Noah. These poor children will never be allowed to visit Canada again.

(Thankfully, they both chose juice!)