Emotions

Legend has been having a rough time with preschool. The problem is that he loves it. He loves it so much that he throws a complete fit every time I pick him up from preschool. He refuses to put on his shoes. He will not use his own feet to exit the building. He bawls and screams. It is horribly embarrassing, but I just have to keep telling myself that I am only responsible for what I do.

I brought him a sucker one day to bribe him to leave nicely. It mostly worked, but I felt like such a cheater/failure and even more embarrassed that I had to use candy to get my kid to cooperate, so I only did that once.

Last time, I brought Bear.
Bear is Legend's very special bedtime bear that rarely leaves the house except on over-night trips.
I thought it would bring him some much needed comfort during the transition.


Teacher calls Legend out from the circle time room for pick up - "Legend, your mommy is here."
Legend yells happily - "Mommy!" But he sure doesn't give me that greeting in the coat room.

He comes out the door and looks at me. I can see a flood of emotions spread across his face, but like rolling a weighted die, he inevitably lands on Miserably Defiant.
I feel my own face, and spirits, drop. "Legend, look who came to see you." I hold Bear out to him hopefully.
Legend looks confused, then happy, then furious.
He grabs bear and chucks him across the room.

Plan B - Let's try quick and dirty
I scoop Legend out of the doorway and plunk him on the bench to get his shoes on as fast as I can. He surprisingly doesn't cry like every time before. He is too worried about Bear.

Legend - "My bear! Oh no! He's over on the floor."
Me - "Okay, well go get him."
Legend hops down and runs to grab bear. He comes straight back to me and proceeds to punch, bite, and rip at Bear. Then he looks at me, likely expecting some negative reaction.
I keep my face expressionless.
He hugs Bear tight.

Legend, for the first time, willingly leaves preschool on his own two feet.
He is very quiet as I buckle him in his car seat.

As I drive away, he puts his little hand longingly on his window and cries - "My preschool! My preschool!"

And I count that as a huge success. Yikes.

Suspicious Yeehaw

Legend likes his privacy when he uses the toilet. After a few minutes I hear a suspicious noise from the bathroom.

Legend yells - "Yeehaw!"
This is not a normal bathroom exclamation, so I investigate.

I find Legend, pants down, dancing in a circle, waving one arm above his head like he is about to rope a steer, repeatedly yelling "yeehaw", with the removable children's toilet seat on his head, the perfect cowboy hat apparently.

I grab the seat and toss it away. "Yuck, Legend. That seat is for the toilet, not your head! Gross!"
Legend - "It got poop on it?"
Me - "Boys and girls sit on it when they go potty. It is not a toy. Yucky. Yucky."

Legend's brow scrunches and his lip quivers.
I try to back-pedal a bit - "It's okay, honey. I'm not mad. We just can't play with the toilet seat."

Legend bawls - "My HAT! My cowboy HAT!"

Shy

Legend had his first day of preschool today. I made a very big deal out of it. Nice new outfit and hat, lunch kit, back pack, and lots of photos. We have been talking about how to behave there and how to make friends for a few weeks now.

Me - "Legend, how are you going to be at preschool? Are you going to be....mean?"
Legend smiles - "No. I'm going to be gentle, kind, quiet, and happy. No roaring at friends."
Me - "That's right! And how will you make friends?"
Legend - "Hi! I'm Legend. Want to play with me?"
Me - "Perfect! You're ready for preschool!"
A little bit of social coaching never hurts.

We finally get in the car this morning, with plenty of anticipation.
Legend grows very quiet in the back seat.
Me - "What's wrong, Legend?"
Legend - "I'm too shy for preschool. I'm too shy."
Me - "Really? I don't think you've ever been shy in your life."
Legend mumbles - "I am too shy."
Me - "Oh. Well, Mommy will be there the whole time today, and Cash, and Kayla too. You are going to have a great time. Don't worry."
Legend - "I'm so shy."

He quietly insists that he is "too shy" the entire 10 minute drive there.

As soon as we pull into the parking lot...
"Mommy! I'm not shy anymore!"

He got over that quickly.

The Important Things

We are at a private ultrasound clinic.


Daddy - "Oh wow! Legend, look! That's our baby!"
Legend, fiddling with a waiting room toy - "Wait a second. First I have to..."

About a minute later Legend runs straight up to the screen, blocking all of our view.
Legend - "Oh. Baby. It's soo cute!"

He always knows just what to say.

.............

The technician announces the baby's sex.


Daddy - "Legend! You're going to have a sister! The baby in Mommy's baby is a girl!"
Legend can tell we are all very excited. He looks at the screen we are all shouting and pointing at.

Legend - "Baby... It's got a head... like me!"

Cheerio

Legend has recently decided that peeing standing up is way better than sitting down. The problem is: Aim.
I had heard that giving little boys a target helps them keep the stream in the right direction.

Legend - "I have to pee!" It always seems to come as an urgent surprise.
So, keeping the aim issue in mind, I grab a Cheerio from the cereal box and plop it into the toilet.

Legend, before I even get a chance to explain - "Oh no!"
Me - "It's okay Legend. See if you can hit it with your pee."
Legend - "That's my cereal! Oh no! Get it out!"
He makes to reach down to fish it out.

Me - "No, no, Legend. I put it there on purpose. See if you can hit it with your pee!"
Legend - "No! It's my cereal. It not go in the potty! No, no."

So, I flush the toilet to get rid of the Cheerio.
Legend, upset - "Oh no! It went down! Get it!"
Me - "No, it's okay. It's gone. Go pee."
Legend, defeated - "My cereal."

He finally pees.
I will never try that again.

Freak Out

Kayla finishes a puzzle all by herself. I usually have to help her a lot; puzzles are really not her forte.
Kayla raises her hands in the air triumphantly - "I did it, Auntie!"
I burst into cheering and clapping.
Uncle Cody sees what the fuss is about and does the same.
Cash and Legend come running.
Cash - "Wow! Good job, Kayla!"
Legend - "You did it!"
Kayla buries her head in her hands and acts coy.

A few minutes later...
Me, calm and quiet - "Kayla, I am so proud of you for doing the puzzle all by yourself."
Kayla - "Don't freak out, Auntie. Don't freak out."

Intense

Cody, in an attempt to encourage good eating at dinner - "You guys are INTENSE!"
Cash - "No. We're not in tents. Tents are only for camping."