Yes, Jamie lost his first baby tooth on Saturday. It had been loose for quite some time and the permanent tooth, about twice the size, was already well up behind it. Jamie was a little ambivalent about the whole business. On the one hand, with so many of his friends losing teeth, he has the distinct impression that this is a big kid thing to do, so that's good. Also, he has learned of the tooth fairy and is interested in the acquisition of wealth so that he can buy Star Wars legos or Bakugans without being subjected to the whims and vagaries of his undependable parents. On the other hand, he was a little disquieted by the feeling of looseness in his mouth and genuinely apprehensive about whether it would hurt when it came out. By Friday night it was very loose indeed and he couldn't stop messing with it, but the more he did so the more upset he became. He wanted me to pull it out but recoiled every time I got near.
Unfortunately, we never actually saw the tooth come out and it was lost. We assured him that the tooth fairy knew the deal and didn't need the actual tooth. He was clearly doing some thinking about the nature of the tooth fairy and his beliefs that night, though he did not say so exactly. Just before bed he asked me if I believed in Santa Claus. Yes, I said quickly, aware that I meant this metaphorically, but that even so I was lying a bit.
Anyway, he was very pleased about the $1 so alls well that ends well. Except that this is only the beginning. Parenthood is a process of perpetual inexperience as we seem to be unready for each new phase. We actually had to borrow a dollar bill to avoid a highly awkward situation and even so very nearly forgot to put it under his pillow.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Scary things
Jamie is a very brave little boy. He used to be so timid, but now he just dives headlong into new situations. It's quite inspiring. We are always asking him if TV shows or movies scare him and he just laughs at us. The key for him seems to be a very clear sense of real and imaginary. The only things, in fact, that seem to upset him are historical events. He's been very into the Magic Tree House books lately. These are great for him and he absolutely loves them, but at times they can get a little intense. The Titanic one, for instance, gets pretty graphic about the situation at sea and Jamie needed to take this very slowly. As is his wont, he memorized a number of salient details, as you'll see below.
Generally, Jamie reacts in a reassuring way to these things, talking about how he would run away, or get on a lifeboat or something sensible like that. One night after we read a bit and the boys headed off to bed, Connor started talking about the same thing, saying that if he were on the Titanic, he would stay on the life boat. Jamie, with his great older brother knowledge, then said, ever a little impatiently, "Connoooo. The life-boats are used to get AWAY from the boat. And I hate to tell you this but there were only 20 lifeboats and they needed 40 to get everybody off the boat. It's very sad..." Here the voice cracks a little and the pedantic tone shifts to uncertainty. "It's making me really sad, right now. Now...I'm...crying..." And indeed he was. Poor little fellow, when he knows things are real, he feels them acutely. Connor, meanwhile, had already moved on.
Generally, Jamie reacts in a reassuring way to these things, talking about how he would run away, or get on a lifeboat or something sensible like that. One night after we read a bit and the boys headed off to bed, Connor started talking about the same thing, saying that if he were on the Titanic, he would stay on the life boat. Jamie, with his great older brother knowledge, then said, ever a little impatiently, "Connoooo. The life-boats are used to get AWAY from the boat. And I hate to tell you this but there were only 20 lifeboats and they needed 40 to get everybody off the boat. It's very sad..." Here the voice cracks a little and the pedantic tone shifts to uncertainty. "It's making me really sad, right now. Now...I'm...crying..." And indeed he was. Poor little fellow, when he knows things are real, he feels them acutely. Connor, meanwhile, had already moved on.
Friday, February 5, 2010
Heartbreaking Connor story of the day
Poor Connor. It is hard sometimes being the younger brother. Jamie is, of course, the most fascinating, funny, inimitable character in the world and endlessly more interesting than Sarah or I. Connor wants to be with Jamie and do what he does all the time. Very often this works out well because Jamie is forever in search of a partner in crime and Connor is all too happy to be co-opted. The problem is that if another partner presents his or herself to Jamie, Connor is frequently jettisoned.
Last weekend a family that lives down the street came over for dinner. They have a 5-year-old boy, who is great friends with Jamie, and a 2-year-old girl who is just heavenly. Every time we see them, which is not infrequntly, we are rewarded for our decision to move. Anyway, Connor couldn't care less about the little girl, of course, and just wants to play with the big boys. At best, he has trouble physically keeping up with them and at worst the game becomes getting away from, or otherwise torturing, Connor. On this night in question Jamie's friend got really into playing with Legos, which Jamie didn't want to do, so that made him sad. Connor meanwhile, just wanted to play with Jamie, who had no interest in him. We were in the other room when we heard Connor start to wail. We went in (not quite rushed in, I'm afraid, because in these post-pacifier days this happens often enough not to be alarming). I found him on the couch absolutely inconsolable. I asked what was wrong and it took a good 30 seconds for him to calm down enough to blurt out: "Jamie doesn't want to be WIFF me!!!!" before dissolving again. Poor little fellow. I offered myself, Sarah, our friends, the Obamas, and double chocolate brownies all as substitutes. None would do.
Last weekend a family that lives down the street came over for dinner. They have a 5-year-old boy, who is great friends with Jamie, and a 2-year-old girl who is just heavenly. Every time we see them, which is not infrequntly, we are rewarded for our decision to move. Anyway, Connor couldn't care less about the little girl, of course, and just wants to play with the big boys. At best, he has trouble physically keeping up with them and at worst the game becomes getting away from, or otherwise torturing, Connor. On this night in question Jamie's friend got really into playing with Legos, which Jamie didn't want to do, so that made him sad. Connor meanwhile, just wanted to play with Jamie, who had no interest in him. We were in the other room when we heard Connor start to wail. We went in (not quite rushed in, I'm afraid, because in these post-pacifier days this happens often enough not to be alarming). I found him on the couch absolutely inconsolable. I asked what was wrong and it took a good 30 seconds for him to calm down enough to blurt out: "Jamie doesn't want to be WIFF me!!!!" before dissolving again. Poor little fellow. I offered myself, Sarah, our friends, the Obamas, and double chocolate brownies all as substitutes. None would do.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
