Yes, four is a very special age. It’s in-your-face hard and great at inducing mama guilt. But it’s also precious, funny, and so worth remembering.
I’ve had several very earnest thank-yous from Connor since Ethan was born. Many, in fact. He waited a long time for this baby, and he loves his little brother more than I could have anticipated.
“Thank you for laying a baby,” he told me one day. (If only it were that easy.)
“Mama, I love you,” he said on another. “I love you too, buddy,” I said, but he was not to be outdone. “I love you MORE, because you made me a baby.”
What can you do but laugh? And hug him, of course.
He’s not lacking in confidence. Not about most things anyway.
“I know all about babies and you don’t.” (All righty, then.)
“I’m going to keep working on [his LEGO creation] because big boys like me NEVER give up.” (It’s true – he doesn’t.)
He did not get his skill with LEGO from me. He can play with it for HOURS, and he’s putting together things way beyond what he should be able to do at his age. And if you give him the LEGO he wants for Christmas, you’ll be rewarded with this.
Pure joy.
But, oh, he’s a mischief maker too. You can see it in his four-year-old face, can’t you?
If we nail him for something and he doesn’t like it, the admonishment will ring throughout the house: “Bad parenting!” he’ll say, sounding very much like he means it. (Again, we laugh. But not where he can see us.)
His sass comes through in his language and the requests we can’t refuse.
“Can I get a little help here?”
At times he seems much older than he is.
At others, he’s very much a little boy.
“Mama, can I have some time with you?”
These polar bears are a Christmas art installation at a local mall. Except Connor calls them, “snowlar bears.”
I think that makes more sense, don’t you?
And he likes to wear his clothes backwards.
Because he’s four.
