The Juice Ritual

I honestly can't believe I haven't talked about this before now.  This is, by far, one of my favorite things that Patrick has ever taught Miles.

Miles has always been a very 'thirsty' kid.  He can suck down a cup of juice or milk in no time flat, and then asks for more.  He has been known to do this over and over and over and over and . . . well, you get the idea.  The problem is that my little toddler-man is really impatient.  It was getting to the point that every refill became a race to fill the cup and return it to Miles before he noticed.  It was a race I usually lost.  He ended up frustrated, which made me frustrated, which just led to all sorts of unhappiness.

Until one day when Patrick was home.  Rather than racing to finish the job, Patrick calmly sat down on the floor and allowed Miles to help.  What began as a simple task of holding the lids while we poured has turned into what we lovingly refer to as the Juice Ritual (even if it's done with milk).

We take the cup into the kitchen, and the parent sits on the floor and opens the refrigerator door.  Miles goes to the refrigerator, and pulls out the container for his choice of drink (either milk or juice - we keep them both on the bottom shelf).  Then, he closes the refrigerator door, and pops a squat across from the parent.  Parent will then loosen the lid on the container, and Miles will unscrew it.  Meanwhile, Parent removes the top from the cup.  Both lids are then placed in the loving care of Miles, while Parent pours the liquid.  Miles then returns the lids to their proper places, and works on screwing the top back onto the juice container while Parent closes the cup.  Parent re-opens the refrigerator, and Miles then picks up the container, and puts it back in the refrigerator and closes the door.  He is rewarded with a full cup, and a high five.  We, in turn, are rewarded with a notable lack of shrieking and a smile of pride on his tiny face.  And five minutes of relative peace until he finishes that cup. :)

He loves that fattening juice! :)