Month: March 2010

Since the boy has learned the rudiments of reading, I decided now would be a good time to introduce him to the modern wonder of email. I had no idea he would be so excited to have email. I suppose what-with the Wife and I always checking ours, it’s only natural. It’s one more thing he has in common with Mom and Dad.

The first email he ever received is reproduced here for posterity:

Are you ready for SCHOOL today?

And his first sent email was as follows(to yours truly):

are you ready for rakitblol

He’s corresponded with Mom, Grandma and Grandpa as well. So far, he’s typed in all of his own messages.

I wonder how long the novely will last?

… the brother- who turned an undisclosed, non-remarkable number of years old today. Unless making it through another year is remarkable in someway.

Perhaps he can get someone to give him a birthday spanking.

Just not me.

We’ve signed the boy up for t-ball this spring. Not because I want him to play baseball, though that’s fine if he wants to, but mostly so he could do something with his chums at school. Plus, in our little nook up here, there isn’t a whole heckuva lot else going on for kids his age. At least, nothing that’s 15 minutes or less drive time.

Since we signed him up, we went and got him a real glove and a real bat and a real T-ball. Today he finally decided that he wanted to play catch and practice batting.

A couple of noteworthy things regarding the boy today.

After dinner, he beat his sister to the bathroom. When he was done, he walked out and flipped the lights off. This action upset his sister to the point of whiny tears. Noticing the rather pleased look on his face, I shot him a look communicating “Why?”, he responded:

I didn’t know I shouldn’t turn the lights off, so I did.

First off, yes it’s lame. The more amusing part, from my perspective, is that it’s clear he did it to aggravate his sister, whom played her part to the hilt. I then warned him to be careful, because anything he did to her she would repay him for later. When he claimed he would be too fast for her, I pointed out that he would never see it coming. He blew that off.

Having a younger sister, I know. He doesn’t.

But he will.

I had a terrible, awful, miserable racquetball match last night. I was so upset with how I played that I forgot my racquet at the club when I left. I didn’t even realize it until I got a call (I was over half-way home at that point) from one of the guys at the club who told me he’d stashed the stuff in his locker.

When I finally got home, the boy was still awake so I got a chance to say goodnight to him. He asked me how my match went. I told him not so good and that I lost all 3 games. Then he asked me:

Did you have any fun?

I told him, truthfully, no I didn’t.

Well, next time make sure to have fun. Right, Dad?

I kissed him goodnight.

I wasn’t so upset anymore.

The boy is sick today so he stayed home while the lass and I went to her dance lesson. She was in a snit by the time we left- even complaining that she didn’t want to dance because she didn’t like it. This was news to me and the answer to the riddle became obvious as I finished my cup-o-jo while observing them watching “Special Agent Ozo.” She was jealous that her brother was going to stay home and get to watch cartoons. So on the way up, I discussed the situation with her, being sure to emphasize that her brother was, in fact, sick; that he had barely slept the night before because of his being sick and he were he not sick, he would be in the car on the way to the Y. She seemed to understand that and well before we arrived at the Y, she was looking forward to her class.

When she was finished, we went to the car. As we climbed into the car that she had known all her life; the car that has taken here to the ocean and to her grandparents; the car that she prefers to the point of ridiculous screaming fits if I dare take the other car, she asked me:

Dad, is this our car?

Which, finally, brings me to my question. Do all kids ask questions that they HAVE to know the answer to? Both of mine do this and it drives me crazy= though I don’t let them know that.

If we’re on the way to Memere’s house, guaranteed one will ask:

Are we going to Memere’s house?

If it’s a bright sunny day, we’ll get the question:

Is it going to rain?

They’ve even asked if our dogs are our dogs.

If I’ve just explained something to them in words so simple, a 2 year old could understand it, they’ll repeat my answer in the form of a question.

It’s like a twisted form of Jeopardy or something.

There is almost no limit to what they will attempt to “verify” despite knowing what the answer is. Initially, I just assumed it was a phase or something. But they’ve been doing it for long enough now that I wonder if they have some kind of insecurity issue or something. The only other explanation I’ve thought is it just became a habit from when they were younger and the behavior was, I assume, natural. Like picking your nose.

We’ve tried a number of responses, including telling them we’re not going to answer the question because they know the answer. I’ve even resorted to sarcasm. This morning, I told the lass it was someone else’s car that my key just happened to work in. By the time we got out of the parking lot, she was pretty sure it was our car. But I never verified the fact for her.

I’m still fairly sure it’s a phase that they just haven’t come out of yet. Which makes me wonder, when will it be over?