My daughter Shayla is such an energetic buzz to be around. She has so much energy! As a parent you really have to learn how to funnel that! I've found that to be my best recourse in managing how that energy plays out. She's like a moving 'buzz bomb' that seeks out engagement and interaction on that level of high energy. It's a freight train in motion that you kind of have to find ways to run along side of without inadvertently, unconsciously attempting to block the energy. The age relationship in our little nuclear family is as follows: 3, 36, 42. You can see the variance here, so our work is obvious when our 3 year old is building a new civilization while her mother and I are just looking for a good place to put our feet up. :-) "Why did you decide to have a kid at your ages", you might be thinking? I think we were just bored, which I assure you we are not anymore.
Honestly though, one of the most exciting things at this self-assertive age of three, aside from trying to keep her from accidentally creating a natural disaster unawares or tripping over her own feet because she forgot to put one foot in front of the other is having great, creative Dali-esque conversations with her. Man, I tell you, This is where it's at with my little girl! She is a great conversationalist and is only getting better as the days progress.
The rate at which her comprehension is expanding is surprising. Watching her find the right places to use the words she's learning is really entertaining. She will use new words and phrases almost immediately after picking them up. Just today as she and I were tooling through the grocery store picking up a few things that we needed at the house she was doing her usual zealous interaction with any willing participants at the store except that she was using a phrase out of place. She was waving to people and saying "Hi", and then after they said "Hi" back to her or even before they got that far, she'd say "No thanks, no thanks" in this kind of happy 'go lucky' tone like how you might respond if someone offered you water and you weren't thirsty for any. It was really comical. I wondered, "Why's she saying that"? I never did figure it out, but it was funny to observe and I caught myself giving people this look that suggested a 'shrug' as a kind of like "I don't know" apology. I smirked as I sped my cart off down the lane trying to excuse myself from the scene of a crime of etiquette, except that she kept doing it over and over again at what seemed like every chance she got. I couldn't 'get away' from the embarrassment of it! "Jeez kid", I kept thinking squelching my laughter! "Way to put your dad in a spot", I thought. Oh well..(sigh). I'm getting good at that--the 'Oh well' take on things--and the sigh. Later in the evening her mother was doing some art with Shayla with Shayla's paper and paints. They were creating something together and Shayla would periodically reach in front of and across her mother to get something she wanted and nonchalantly say, "excuse me, coming through"! We thought, "Where's she getting that"? She didn't do it just once, but several times. Huh.? Okay, that must've come from her play date that she had today, we thought. Today was her first day at what looks to be a regular association at an organized daily 'play date' at a community center near our house. Wow, that was quick. Such it is with these young sponges. Such it is....
There's never a dull moment when you live with one of these little, vibrant, beautifully alive kiddos. It's always been 'monkey see, monkey do', but something has changed.... The monkey is getting sharper. Uh oh.
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