“As he lies on the bed, his long-limbed body already clumsy
with impending adolescence, I realize that I am looking at the last vestiges of
childhood. I am sure this is why women go on and on having children, so there
is always a willing receptacle for their love.”
-Except from the book Slummy Mummy
Lucky for me Matthew is only turning five in a couple months
and not impending adolescence but recently I thought of this quote when he was
trying to get on a pair of shorts on which turned out to not be a pair of
shorts but a pair of Sammy’s pants which were accidentally put away in his drawer.
These pants once belonged to him and it does not feel like it was that long ago
that he wore them.
Now that he is older the neighborhood children view him as a
fellow playmate instead of a small kid confined to the play limitations of his
property lines. This means when he says he’s going outside to play he does not
necessarily mean where I can keep an eye on him at all times. It means he takes
it upon himself to walk down the road and ring the neighbor’s doorbell. These new playmates are good children; they make a chain (holding hands) when crossing the
road, settle their own turn taking disputes, and bend the rules of whatever
backyard game they happen to be playing to accommodate all skill levels.In turn he's happier to show his little sister the same level of patience with his little sister.
The weather has been so nice out that we have been spending
lots of time outside. Even Bob! Sammy has recently learned to clap and spends a
fair amount of her time doing so. It provides endless cheer wherever she goes
because someone is always bound to join in her clapping too.
