April 28, 2003 - 10:05 p.m.

How Do You Know?

I sometimes feel that I work with a pint-sized Jekyll and Hyde. B, the four year-old, goes from one extreme mood to another at the drop of a hat. He tells me he doesn't like me or even that he hates me nearly as often as he says he loves me. One moment he'll be hugging and kissing me, then I have to say no to him for some reason and he will pout, hit, or yell. There's certainly no doubt about how he's feeling at any given moment!

He is also the most suspicious and accusatory child I have ever met! He's constantly worrying that someone will take something of his. If he gets up from lunch to go to the bathroom and then sees me chewing, he'll ask if I ate some of his food. As though rice cakes with peanut butter or PBJ sandwiches are so tempting to me that I can't bear to leave them alone! Anytime I tell him to put down a toy for even a short time he worries that his sisters will come and take it. Never mind that a three-toed sloth could count on one paw the number of times one of them has taken something of his without permission. It's all about projection, since he has a bad habit of grabbing anything that catches his eye and eating, playing with, breaking, or otherwise molesting it. Any accidental harm that comes to him is blamed on someone. If we shock one another getting out of the car, he says, "You shocked me!" in an indignant voice. If the dog is near him when he falls down he'll yell, "Zeke knocked me down!" Apparently nothing just happens to this kid.

The child also has a highly unusual lack of any sense of authority. Most kids will take the majority of what a trusted adult tells them at face value. Not B. His favorite phrase lately is, "How do you know?" I'll steer him in the direction of our car when I pick him up from school, "The car's right over here, B." "How do you know?" Huh? Maybe because I parked it there! If I say what time it is, "How do you know?" When I say the weather is going to be nice today, "How do you know?" Even when I state that today is Tuesday, "How do you know?" It's great that he isn't entirely gullible, but sometimes I think I need a sixteen page affadavit to convince the kid that it really is bathtime or that his parents did not tell him he could watch three movies this afternoon. Oy! Talk about strong-willed... It'll be interesting to see what this kid will be when he grows up! Any wagers?

today's project: planting new bulbs in my garden - blazing stars and mini amaryllis

musing about: how to convince B that I know what I am talking about... sometimes

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