Benji has been really good with academic concepts like letters, numbers, colors, shapes for quite some time now. So recently I've been trying to work with him on more abstract ideas like feelings and emotions. One of his books, "Baby Faces", shows babies with different feelings like happy, sad, sleepy, shy, etc., and we've been reading that lately. I've also been asking Benji how he thinks the characters in his books feel when different things happen to them. For example, when Rainbow Fish loses his piece of sea glass how does he feel? Sad.
Benji seems to be picking up on these ideas and using them elsewhere. A particular favorite of his is to tell you "Benji's crying" as if you your ignoring the loud screaming was because you didn't notice it. He will also offer to kiss you where it hurts if he accidentally bonks you in the head or steps on your toe. But last night was my favorite. We were on the changing table getting ready for bed and he wanted his hippo (a little rubber purple hippo bath toy). I gave it to him and he told me that "hippo is scared" and that Benji would "take care of hippo." The expression on this toy's face is sort of surprised or scared, depending on how you look at it, so this was a great observation of Benji's. But what I was most impressed by was his desire to take care of the hippo. He held the tiny hippo in his hand and clutched it to his chest, as if to protect it. We then talked about how we could take care of hippo and decided that hippo could sleep on the changing table because he would be safe there (safe from being stepped on on the floor).
Coupled with this greater understanding of feelings is a strong improvement in the ability to communicate clearly. I don't think last month we could have had a full conversation about what to do with the hippo. And I know in the last month Benji has gotten better at recalling what happened during the day and telling you. Most evenings I now get a report about what Benji played with and what he ate, provided by Benji with a little prodding from Daddy. And tonight he had one of the most complete sentences I've heard from him: "Uncle Dave's favorite number is nine." Subject, verb, object, adjectives — oh my!
i sincerely do not know what you are doing here. are you lost? were you
looking for your delicate calico cat, and did you follow her up two flights of stairs
to this room? she is not here. she was here, yes. we gave her a warm bowl of milk, we talked with her about campaign finance reform for a time, and then she bid us good day. i believe she was
going to the post office two blocks down, but i don't quite recall.
for surely you did
not find your way from prinsiana, the least traveled site on
the internet. if you did, though, perhaps you are looking for humor. perhaps you are looking for profundity. perhaps you are looking for answers.
i'm sorry, but you shall go naught-for-three.
