Friday

Toddler Tales: The -Ings Going On Around Here

Mimicking

The other day I overheard the following interaction between Toddler J & his Thomas Train.

J: "Thomas, time for time out."
--waiting--
J: "Ok, now why were you in time out?"
Thomas: (replying through J, of course) "Scweaming" (screaming)
J: "What do you say?"
Thomas: "I sowy" (I'm sorry)
J: "Ok, gimme a hug"

--by now I'm watching & I see J place his Thomas train on his shoulder and give him a hug, complete with little hand pat on the top of the little Engine.

Can you tell he knows the routine for time out...?


Assuming

We have some friends staying with us this week while they hunt for jobs & housing in The City. I thought I did an adequate job of preparing Toddler J for the change in routine...explaining that we will need to leave the loft area alone, stay out of their space, and let them use the guest bathroom (usually his bathroom), and keep a nice level of quiet in the house in the mornings.

They arrived late one night, and the next morning J was excited!
He exclaimed, "Wanna show Granddaddy my toy!!" as he ran into the guest room/loft area.
I caught him just before he barged through their curtains to explain.
This guy's name is Andrew.
But.
He is not the Andrew that is your Granddaddy!

He was pretty disappointed, but got over it quick enough. Of course he assumed that an Andrew coming to our house would be Granddaddy!! (He knows that is his name because when Grandmama & Granddaddy were hear in the summer, he noticed that Grandmama called him by his name)

Understanding
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After the name confusion, I thought it best to re-iterate the points we had talked about before regarding our guests staying with us. Stay out of their space, don't get in their bed or their suitcases, and they get full use of the "Duck Bathroom" (his bathroom, decorated with ducks).

After my short review, I said "Ok, so they get to have their own space right now. Do you understand?"

He said "YEAH. My bafroom!" (think. teenager attitude voice. seriously)

Clearly, he understood that they were taking over his space.

Comparing

I was working on creating our April Newsletter for Primary (Church children's organization) the other day, and I was saying the words to myself as I typed up this month's theme: "Jesus Christ is My Savior and Redeemer".

Toddler J overheard me and asked: "Jesus Christ?"
I replied "That's right. He is our Savior."
He paused for a minute & stated: "Jesus Christ is taller than Daddy."

Great comparison, and I bet he is right.

Explaining

I came down stairs earlier this week to see a line of toilet paper...from the bottom of the stairs, through the living room, curving past the playroom, into the little hallway and finishing (naturally) in the downstairs bathroom.

I looked at Toddler J & asked (trying to keep my calm) "What is this??"
He looked at me and explained "It's for the lady bug", and then crouched down by the foot of the stairs to show me a little lady bug.

Either it was a blanket for her, or a way to grab her and take her out--not sure. He was thinking only of that lady bug, though, and was quick to explain his intentions.

Caring

A few nights ago I sat down in the recliner with a blanket. It was a long day with two boys, I was tired and had a headache (no doubt augmented by the beeping of one of our fire alarms letting us know the battery was dead). Toddler J noticed I looked out of sorts, so he came over and said "What's wong, Mama?"

I said "Oh, I have a head ache. And I'm tired. I need to rest for a minute."

He ran away before I even finished.

I had barely closed my eyes and he was back. He patted my head gently and said "Don't feel good?"

I said "no, I don't feel good."

He quickly responded: "It's Ok, Mama--here's a toy."
Then, he carefully tucked my Shara Tiara doll by side and walked away.

What a sweet little caretaker! I hope he's this sweet when I'm old!!

Testifying

A few weeks ago I was frustrated with something I had said, and Mr. H had said, and I had said, and he had said. You know how those things go. Often fueled by misplaced emotion & thoughtless reactions. Mr. H left for his evening responsibilities and I put my head down on the counter with a frustrated heart.

Toddler J was in the playroom.
He didn't see me or know what I was feeling or doing.

He called to me from his playhouse perch: "Mommy!?"

I said "Yes, baby."
He said: "Heavenly Father loves Jackson."
I replied (still from the kitchen) : "That's right, He loves you VERY much."

--pause--

He said: "Heavenly Father loves Mama."

--pause--

My eyes welled up with tears. This is what I needed to hear in that moment, and then...

He finished: "Heavenly Father loves Daddy."

--pause--

Wow. Even though I needed to hear that I AM loved--I really needed to be reminded, in that moment of frustration, how much God loves my dear Mr. H.

He does, oh yes.
And THAT is what makes it all fall into place.
Isn't it?

4 comments:

It's Me - Jen E! said...

You can always get life's perspectives from the mouths of babes....it just might take a second or two to figure it out!

And J, I'm with you, Thomas can be very loud...a time out is just the thing to let him know he needs to quiet down sometimes!

Linda said...

Totally.
thanks for all these!

Kendra said...

Oh my goodness. So darling. And I totally teared up reading the last one. What a sweet boy.

Mark and Allison said...

He has such a tender heart. Thanks for sharing.