Ben's newfound ability to get both feet off the ground at the same time has reawakened his interest in climbing. For months now, he's used a step to climb onto the couch, I've had to pick him up and set him on his dinner chair, and even hold his hand going up the stairs. Not anymore! Now I look over to discover he's standing on the back of the couch, ready to jump.
A long time ago, I decided not to say, "be careful" any more than absolutely necessary. If Ben is going to do it anyway, I'm not going to caution him to be careful when he does it. I'll save the caution for necessary things, like staying out of the street, where "be careful" means "stop right now."
But if he wants to jump off the furniture, what good would it do to tell him to jump carefully? Nope. Jump with wild abandon, son! Come crashing down at nine point eighty six meters per second squared and glory in every bit of it! Get up higher and jump again!
Simon is already bouncing his way over to Ben. They'll egg each other on, I'm sure. We should take bets on which one falls out of the tree in the backyard first. Well, I guess Simon has to learn to walk first. But we've got a couple great climbing trees in the backyard, just waiting for boys to fall out of!
A few weeks ago, I was walking in the neighborhood and passed a house with several kids in the front yard, having an important meeting. The screen of the second story window was on the ground next to them, and there was a sheet hung out the window. A kid was leaning out the window, waiting for the decision on how she was going to get down out of the window. I offered up a very adult, "be careful!" as I walked past. I hope Dirk teaches the boys how to tie good knots, so when they decide to rappel down the house, the sheets don't come untied. I also hope I don't know anything about it until they're either safely on the ground, or home from the emergency room.
Every so often, Ben comes down harder than he planned, and he wails like the world just ended. I cuddle him and pick him up and dust him off. Then, when he climbs right back up to jump off again, I bite back the "be careful" and cheer him on.
4 comments:
What and incredible Mommy my boys have.
I hope never to know that as well. At least until it is over. I too have found you can talk and talk and yell and yell,but boys are going to be boys, so the sooner you just accept it, and keep them from killing themselves, it makes like so much easier.
I have to add a postscript. I do want the boys to know that some behavior is "outdoor behavior" and some is "indoor behavior" and they will have "company manners." It's not like I'm encouraging wholesale destruction of their immediate vicinity. You know.
You are doing a marvelous job with those boys and I too can see them plotting all sorts of fun stuff when they get big enough to plot (and it WILL come sooner than you think). Just keep loving them like you do.
I was visiting with my walking partner today - she is a major Cub Scouter and loves 8-10 year old boys but we got onto the 'gross each other out' (after I told Ben's cute toot story) and she mentioned that every time she trains other people to work with cubs she stresses that some things are just plain BOY things and to expect it and let it happen. It will. One of my favorite memories comes from taking a group of cub scouts to and from Camp Kiesel (I think it was when kelly was a cub) and trying to out gross their grossness...goodness, something about swallowing great greasy fat worms glistening with snot...you get the picture... what a memory.
Post a Comment