What has Scout been doing?

Scout and I are sick today - not fun.

I've just got the strength to share a Scout story. We discovered this week he can READ 4 words (and who knows what else). Yes, I have tested it a few times as I was flabbergasted.

They are: Sugar, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

Anyone guess how my 25 month old picked up those words?

It's monday (otherwise known as swimming and ouma day)

Couldn't resist sharing this - Sparky was putting on pants due to a pre-breakfast accident, and I had told him to go put on his undies. Scount (25 months) was trying to say something to me, I was ignoring this as I was instructing Sparky. Finally I paid attention: "don't want undies. swimming. ouma's." Bhaer had told the boys it was Monday earlier. Scout was pointing out that Sparky doesn't wear undies Monday morning, as he goes to swimming in his swimmers, with Ouma (Bhaer's mum).

I need at least one more February post so here are some kid stories...

Sparky has been showing some theological thinking recently.

When we explained that he would get to see the people he loved in heaven forever, he excitedly exclaimed he would see K____ (a girl from preschool last year) again.

He was putting on some check shorts yesterday, and said they must be church shorts. He is under the impression checks are for church, because the collared shirts he wears for church tend to have checks (the lack of imagination of boys' fashion manufacturers). He then nodded and said "yes, of course it's for the cross". I put a striped tee on him as well, and he said "ah! half a cross !" I didn't have the heart to discourage this interest in symbolism.

Scout has been saying I love you a lot, which is gorgeous. He also enjoys saying "that's mine" - or, if he doesn't want the item, it's "that's Sparky's!". Ah the human paradox -loving and selfish all in the same person!

Latest Sayings

Sparky: I love you even when you are naughty Mummy
Owl: tee (tree), bic (biccie), key, pixer (picture)

Will Owl make it to adulthood?

Owl turned one last Saturday. He has also entered into the typical 12 month old assertion of independence alternating with separation anxiety, so he is driving me up the wall at the moment.

What is really worrying me though, is his personality's particular combination of cleverness, ingenuity, sneakiness and sense of adventure. Added to being no 2 kid, this means I am constantly just in the nick of time (or not) to save him from some kind of hair-raising misadventure. Last week, I was staying at my parent's place looking after my 89 year old grandmother (who lives behind them) while they were away. Owl got into scary situations twice while at her house. Probably because with my grandmother and 2 kids, it was really like looking after 3 kids, in a house that did not cater for kids, and so my attention was even more diverted. Owl managed to :1) within a minute of inattention , because both Sparky and grandmother were talking at me, get into her laundry, take out all the cleaning products left on a ground level open shelf, throw them around so some leaked out. I got to him BEFORE he drank any (phew!)
2) My grandmother had made herself a tea without milk and left it in the middle of the kitchen bench. I was standing in the kitchen supervising the use of the water fountain by Sparky and my grandmother (don't ask!), holding Owl. I wasn't even right next to the bench, and the tea was about a body length from him. But seeing his opportunity to try one of these things he is never allowed to touch, he suddenly dove out of my arms across the bench to put his fingers in the tea. I caught him and pulled out his fingers, and ran them under water for 10 mins. No lasting damage.

Then tonight, as I was reading Sparky a story in his bedroom while Owl played on the floor, he climbed up on a plastic box, pulled open a drawer in a mini set of drawers Sparky has, and tried to use that as a step to climb up to the top of the drawers. I took him down and put him elsewhere in the room, and continued the story. As soon as I averted my eyes to read the book, he dashed back to it, and started climbing again, and of course the drawer couldn't support him and he fell and scratched inside his mouth a little with his fingernail. I was impressed by his understanding of the step principle, but wished he had also worked out the necessity for stability! As Pope said "A little learning is a dangerous thing; drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring". Too clever for his own good - but completely lacking in caution! arrgghh! does anyone else have a little adventuresome one?

More spiritual development

A couple of interesting conversations with Sparky yesterday.

First, he had been in time out twice (once from his dad once from me) for being aggressive with his brother. He had also at this time been pretending to be a super hero. He then wouldn't put his teatowel cape back on and was sobbing - I ased why, and he said "I will never ever be a super hero". Why not? becuase super heroes are good, not naughty and they help people. They also fly, according to Sparky, but apparently that is not as definitive of them as the moral virtues of a hero! We had a big talk about how all of us be naughty sometimes, and that he can already be a super hero, and that God will have lots of super hero things for him to do in life. Cape went back on . So, lovely internalisation of desire for goodness - but now need him to feel that him being good isn't a hopeless case.

Secondly, at the shops, he suddenly says "come along Jesus, hold my hand" and I look down (Sparky is holding my hand) and the other hand is outstretched holding on to well what looks likes nothing. Then we get to the car and I am told to strap Jesus in as well. Sparky then says "it is a good thing we didn't leave Jesus at the shops". Very true. Then he says "jesus says he loves everybody" . Then Jesus got a running commentary from Sparky about what could be seen out the window. Jeus was kinda being treated like an imaginary friend, but still I thought it was gorgeous - so relational.

I feel like I am leaving Owl out recently, so his latest thing is he has stood by himself unsupported - yesterday for quite a while, because he was so cranky with me for putting him down, he just stood and cried for a while and then calmed down , realised he was standing up and so sat down with a plop. Quite a funny sight actually - poor fella.

internalising

Sparky is having one of those developmental change periods...we had a difficult morning this morning, because Bhaer and I were both busy and Sparky likes lots of attention - anyway he followed me around most of the time talking non stop (NOT an exaggeration) and it was wearing, and so I got irritable with him. Eventually he went off to do something by himself, and proudly showed me what he had done - create an interesting pattern on his playdough ------with his jumper. I didn't get him in trouble, since he didn't know he shouldn't do this, but told him not to do it again. I changed his jumper, because he was just about to go out. I came back and he was now creating patterns with something I had said was Ok, but still making a huge mess, including on the new jumper, and we were less than 5 mins off going out, so I said it was time to put the playdough away. He was very upset, and I explained he wasnt in trouble but that no he couldnt have it back, and why. Next thing I know, I find him standing face against a wall, and he says mum I'm here. I'm like yes I can see that... and then he says "I'm having time out". He had put himself into time out! So then I gave him lots of cuddles and tried to explain again that he wasn't in trouble. Then I had very mixed feelings about this: 1) was very impressed that he seemed to be internalising discipline. Becuase of course our hope is that he develops internal values and self control, rather than being reliant on being externally controlled. There have been other signs of this lately, and I'm really pleased about that.
2) I did feel that this was the result of a whole morning of me being irritable with him - after all talking non stop isn't exactly naughty (though I did tell him to be quieter a couple of times when I was on the phone), just tiring. So it isn't good that at the end of the morning he feels like a bad boy. This links into my previous post about needing to be aware of the interplay of his extraversion with my intraversion.

So, so pleased that he is developing a moral sense, but wondering how to teach him the fine balance between being himself in all his chatty, friendly gorgeousness, whilst respecting other's boundaries and need for space - we had this issue a while ago with him hugging people too much, and he finally learnt that not everybody wants a hug all the time, especially not 20 in a row.

In other Sparky news, he came up with his first joke (very proud parents!)
When does a truck run over your toe? when it is a tow truck!
and today managed to kiss several little girls at Koorong (Christian book store) - most of whom looked pleased, but the girls' mums looked even more charmed.

a flair for the dramatic?

sparky - (sorry another cute anecdote!!!) - has been showing a very dramatic turn of speech lately. Instances:
1. yesterday when I was ignoring the repeated mum!s from the backseat of the car because you know I actually wanted to talk to my husband for a change. - he exclaimed with a flourish "Ladies and gentleman, I said MUM!"
2. today when we set off for a walk with Owl in the pram, he came up to the pram and announced (with perfect intonation too) Follow that pram!
I have the sneaking suspicion that a lot of the time he is in his own mind not a boy, but a ringmaster, or policeman or...... so I am left trying to work out at times what part I am currently playing.

sparky quotes

I couldn't resist sharing these with you.
1) Sparky - almost 3 - has just been looking at a baby pig on tv, which I tell him is called a piglet. After some time, he says to me "what do you call a baby hit?" thinking I know where this is going I suggest - "hitlet?" he says no, a high five! a deliberate joke as he burst out laughing.
2) Having just played a game with lofty (the crane from Bob the builder) lifting things, he says to me, mum, why isn't he called lifty? why indeed?