Just Kid Stuff

Just a few choice Tims from the last few days:

**Timary**

Me: Hi Tim! How was school?

Tim: Not much to say. Anything new for me?

Me: Yes, actually! I talked to Emily today and you get to start your very own swimming lessons next week!

Tim: (eyes shining) That's incredible! I promise to behave even better than I do at school. MUCH better...well, not at all like I do at Primary!

Mom: Tim, we need to talk about how you behave at Primary.

Tim: (totally to himself) Argh! Why did I have to bring THAT up! (to me) Mom, the problem is the boredom. Then after I get bored, that activates the bad behavior.

Mom: You mean there's nothing you can do about it? It just gets activated?

(there ensues a brief discussion of free will which ends with Mom, hoping to stimulate new interest in sharing and singing time, clarifying)
So, do you think you might be able to make the choice NOT to be bored?

Tim: Mom, it's making the choice to bust up the boredom that ends up with the bad behavior.

**Timnemonics**

Tim, studying a map: How can you remember that it goes North, East, South, West?

Tom: (encouraging Tim's creativity--ha!) What do you think?

Tim: How about Never Eat Stinky Wolves?

**Tim's Megamoves**

Tim: (Whirling around the kitchen while doing random high kicks and flailing his arms passionately) Want to know what's Tim's Megamoves?

Me: Of course!

Tim: It's a combination of dance and fighting used for self defense. (more wild Megamoves)

Me: (trying hard not to laugh) I love it!

Tim: Yeah? Maybe next I'll try a combo of football and wrestling. That should be fun!

**Tim at Work**

It's a half day, usually used by the kids to invite friends over, but not this time. This time I'm making them do tons of work. Tim's assignment is in the living room. He walks aimlessly around, kicking at the stuff on the ground, groaning and literally grabbing his head in frustration. Finally, he raises his hands and yells, "Can't a kid enjoy his day off?"

Today's Nigel's birthday. He's three. That's the icky age as far as I'm concerned. Nigel's a weird combination, though. He's very obedient but it seems he still needs to assert himself. So he'll assert himself ONCE, make everybody thoroughly miserable while he does it, then ever after strictly obey whatever rule was enforced. We've never had one like that before. It's like he's the parenting simulator--all parents should get to practice discipline on him. Think how great we'd be if we'd had him first?

A couple of weeks ago he decided that he was NEVER going to drink from a cup with a lid on again. Big boy now, no lids. I've very carelessly allowed him to take his "Sponge Bob Milky Cup" downstairs while he watches Dragon Tales. He always wakes up grouchy and hates it when all "the brothers" leave for school. I just think of him like an adult with coffee and a newspaper. He needs half an hour with Zac, Weezy, Ord, Cassie, and an extra tall Milky before he can get the day going. I haven't worried about him carrying the cup downstairs because it's one of those super valves only bionic toddler sucking action can open.

All fine until two Fridays ago when he decided he was going to take the double tall down without a lid. I said no. No lid in the kitchen, okay. No lid downstairs, NO KAY! Forty five minutes of serious tantrum later, he darted over, grabbed the glass, and ran for the stairs. I had been ignoring his tantrum so I was a little slow on the hot pursuit. When he saw me gaining on him, he followed through with the instinctive action of all cornered criminals--he tried to get rid of the evidence.

All I can say in my defense is that my patience had been worn down by the lengthy tantrum. Certainly whatever was left of it vanished at the sight of milk dripping down the walls and stairs. I grabbed the glass, which still had a half an inch of milk in it and... It took him about an hour to stop sobbing broken-heartedly. I think he's forgiven, but he hasn't forgotten, because if you ask him, "Why is Mommy sorry?" he'll answer, "She pour milk on me." If you ask, "Why are you sorry?" he'll answer, "I pour milk on the floor and stairs." And if you happen to be the first one up with him in the morning, he'll ask, "Can I have Sponge Bob Puppy Milky please...WIF LID."