Best Plan Yet!
By Gienie Assink, Eugene
I’ve never been really good at writing down what my kids did at a certain age. Sometimes I’ll look at Elijah and wonder what Timothy was doing at his age. Elijah is now 3 years old, walks on his own (of course, I have video for posterity) and says a few words occasionally. We’re so proud! At 3 years of age however, my oldest son Timothy could say much more, or at least what he said was normal and never caused alarm. So, I asked their doctor, who insisted this was totally normal. “Second children usually don’t talk much because the oldest speaks for them”. What he meant to say was “He’s the second child, which, we all know means you plop him in front of a television and ignore any developmental needs he might have”. (Rolling eyes here.)
Elijah has always been a self soother… who needs TV when you have such an evolved imagination??
Eventually the words came, and when they came… they flowed like Niagara… rich with sarcasm and dryness. I still don’t know where he gets it from!!!
As my son grows older and moves out of toddler hood to more of a “little boy” I constantly find myself staring at him in amazement. My little boy, the one who looks up at me with such sweet eyes and says “Mom, what is dad talking about?” or… “I’ve had a weird life mom!” Or… “You’re spaghetti tastes like sponge, I’m not eating this!” (These are the moments I live for.)
I have often pondered on why Elijah is so cynical…. I can only come up with this:
At 32 months (2 ½), two big things happened.
Number one: I accidentally pushed him off a swing in the park once and made him fall to the ground. I guess I should have emphasized the “kick your legs AND hold on tight” part a little bit better. He was so angry at falling that he picked up a handful of mulch and tossed it at me. When he finally got up, he told me he could no longer go on the swings due to the fact that he would “be pushed off on purpose again.” (His words… not mine) He has never gone on a swing since…
The second is the fact that he has moved on from being a Mama’s boy, to being completely independent. I remember my hubby and I going to Sherri’s for breakfast…we took the spawn with us of course. Nearing the end of our experience and after Elijah had let everyone in a 5 mile range know how he felt about eggs, I got up to go to the restroom and wash my hands.
As I was walking away, I over heard Elijah say “We need leave Mom here, okay?”
At first, I was a bit insulted, considering the number of weeks I suffered in that pregnancy. But then, I thought about it. Childfree time at Sherri’s, where someone else can bring me an ice cream sundae or a pot of coffee, I think it is the best plain he’s ever had!
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