Worker boy

Oomoo really loves going to his Nana's house in France, and one of the main reasons is that he gets to help out with things that need doing on the land or in the house, and that nature is so close, with bugs and weather and all that entails. I'd like to think of myself as a good mum (I mean you'd like to, right?!), but recently it's become obvious that I go on auto-pilot and do too much for him, or don't back off and let him get on with things, at his own pace. Staying with his Nana is a lesson in how much he wants to help, and how much he enjoys doing so - if you just give him the chance. I'm so impressed with how patient they are with him (sadly I'm not the most patient person in the world, and it's something that I'm trying to get better at), and I love the way they chat and come up with fun things to do. My stepfather-in-law gave Oomoo a notebook so he could chart all the bugs (usually dead) or birds he'd see in a day, and then they'd find out more about each animal online in the evenings. But it wasn't all work and research; in the times in between, he'd be reading his Asterix or Lucky Luke comics, have water fights in the pool, or design things on the computer. Since we've been back I've backed off and now let him do more things around the house, and he's taking in it his stride.