We Have A Lot To Learn

We have a lot to learn from the Chinese, or so I am told by our ayi and driver.

I know that the ayi thinks that Huck gets sick because we don't dress him in warm enough clothes. She's said so when he's been sick in the past. This week, I started to move the boys' clothes around. I wanted the warm weather clothes to be in their drawers, so I started to pull the cold weather items out and put them in piles on the floor. She came into the room and said she'd planned to do the task later in the day, so I happily went about doing something else. (Yes, I love this life!)

Later, she told me she'd moved Jack and Jed's clothes and put away things that are too small for them. She said she wanted to wait a week or so to do Huck's clothes since he gets sick if he's too cold. I knew she'd have a reaction when he got home from school that day because I'd dressed him in long shorts and a short sleeved shirt. She didn't say anything but the next day, when he came down with a fever of nearly 104, she said it was because he was in short sleeves the day before! It was 80 degrees. Ah, I have a lot to learn.

On Thursday, I took Huck and Zeke to the doctor for check ups. Zeke hates to be in his carseat and he cries for much of the drive when we are in the car. I try to keep him calm but sometimes there's nothing to do to help. After about 20 minutes of crying on the way home, our driver turned to Tom and explained that Chinese people hold their babies in the car so they don't cry. Tom explained that in America you go to jail and have to pay money if the police catch you doing that. I interjected to make sure Tom told the driver that, more importantly, it's dangerous! They just hate to hear babies cry.

Finally, yesterday, Xing Ayi had Zeke laying on the bed and was running her hands from his chest to his toes. She went on to explain that when her son was a baby, her mother told her that she should do this to make him taller. Lo and behold, at 13, he is now taller than both his mom and dad! Hmmm.