As much as my younger boy is going through milestones at a faster pace than my first one, I have been reminded that my elder boy is still growing and passing through phases. So this post comes as a bit of an update on what he has been doing and how he has been changing.
In the past few weeks I have noticed that he is much more open to interacting with people he may not know as well. He is speaking on the phone these days (instead of nodding and smiling through a conversation) and waves at people we pass on the street. I think some of this new confidence stems from the fact that he is speaking more distinguishably and people are understanding what he is saying (without me explaining it to them). When the cashier asks how he is doing, he now replies with a, "Doing good." or "Being a good boy." On a side note, this awareness of whether he is being a good boy or not stems from our system of privileges only being bestowed when he has been obedient and helpful previous to the time. I have some reservations with this being the model of what it means to be good or bad but I think the innumerable nuances of the concepts can be applied as his understanding grows. But to return to the original topic, he is at the point where most people (if he talks loudly enough) can discern what he is trying to say. There have been several people who mentioned that he seems to have a bit of a British accent. As much as it may seem likely that this stems from my unabashed status as an Anglophile, I think it has more to do with his careful diction.
He uses several phrases quite frequently. Unfortunately, I don't think that I will remember all of the ones I have hoped to write down. He uses "last night" to refer to pretty much any occurrence in the past. He has just started to say "yesterday" but it comes up a lot less than the first. He prefixes quite a few phrases with "only just" such as Walter is "only just little" and he's "only just going to the kitchen".
Then there is the physical side of things. His disposition is generally a careful one and I never had to worry about crazy antics or his overreaching his limits but recently he has been much more boyish and dare-devil-y (for him, in any case). He loves to do headstands on the couch and climb and balance on any accessible high point.
He enjoys letting me know his likes and dislikes. He also wants to pick his clothes most of the time and usually does a good job of it (sometimes I'm happy that we're not going anywhere when he wears certain outfits, though). He now sees ads (usually those involving chocolate... What can I say? He is my boy) and has to tell me each time, "I like that one Mommy." As evidenced from these pictures, he found the flying-ace style winter hat one day and had to wear it all day (despite it be a fairly warm day) and, on and off, asks to wear the "hat with sunglasses". I think it's beyond adorable but try not to gush too much!
On the down-side of all this development is his increasing use of the word "no". This crops up especially when I am busy and unable to follow through on backing up whatever I have asked him to do. For a child his age, however, he is very tractable and reasonable. I also try to remember that my final goal in all this isn't to control him but to teach him to control himself. It just gets frustrating when I find a reasonable request negated despite obvious benefits to himself or necessity.
I need to wrap this up but over all I am thrilled to get to know more and more of my boy and see how he grows and develops. Time is flying by but we're certainly enjoying the ride!
As much as my younger boy is going through milestones at a faster pace than my first one, I have been reminded that my elder boy is still growing and passing through phases. So this post comes as a bit of an update on what he has been doing and how he has been changing.
In the past few weeks I have noticed that he is much more open to interacting with people he may not know as well. He is speaking on the phone these days (instead of nodding and smiling through a conversation) and waves at people we pass on the street. I think some of this new confidence stems from the fact that he is speaking more distinguishably and people are understanding what he is saying (without me explaining it to them). When the cashier asks how he is doing, he now replies with a, "Doing good." or "Being a good boy." On a side note, this awareness of whether he is being a good boy or not stems from our system of privileges only being bestowed when he has been obedient and helpful previous to the time. I have some reservations with this being the model of what it means to be good or bad but I think the innumerable nuances of the concepts can be applied as his understanding grows. But to return to the original topic, he is at the point where most people (if he talks loudly enough) can discern what he is trying to say. There have been several people who mentioned that he seems to have a bit of a British accent. As much as it may seem likely that this stems from my unabashed status as an Anglophile, I think it has more to do with his careful diction.
He uses several phrases quite frequently. Unfortunately, I don't think that I will remember all of the ones I have hoped to write down. He uses "last night" to refer to pretty much any occurrence in the past. He has just started to say "yesterday" but it comes up a lot less than the first. He prefixes quite a few phrases with "only just" such as Walter is "only just little" and he's "only just going to the kitchen".
Then there is the physical side of things. His disposition is generally a careful one and I never had to worry about crazy antics or his overreaching his limits but recently he has been much more boyish and dare-devil-y (for him, in any case). He loves to do headstands on the couch and climb and balance on any accessible high point.
He enjoys letting me know his likes and dislikes. He also wants to pick his clothes most of the time and usually does a good job of it (sometimes I'm happy that we're not going anywhere when he wears certain outfits, though). He now sees ads (usually those involving chocolate... What can I say? He is my boy) and has to tell me each time, "I like that one Mommy." As evidenced from these pictures, he found the flying-ace style winter hat one day and had to wear it all day (despite it be a fairly warm day) and, on and off, asks to wear the "hat with sunglasses". I think it's beyond adorable but try not to gush too much!
On the down-side of all this development is his increasing use of the word "no". This crops up especially when I am busy and unable to follow through on backing up whatever I have asked him to do. For a child his age, however, he is very tractable and reasonable. I also try to remember that my final goal in all this isn't to control him but to teach him to control himself. It just gets frustrating when I find a reasonable request negated despite obvious benefits to himself or necessity.
I need to wrap this up but over all I am thrilled to get to know more and more of my boy and see how he grows and develops. Time is flying by but we're certainly enjoying the ride!
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