When did these kids get to be so smart? I can see their brains working a mile a minute as they try to learn how to communicate, how to behave and, most of all, how to get what they want; especially without getting into too much trouble. And since they don’t have a wide vocabulary through which to express themselves, we have begun to witness some interesting versions of communication. When Taylor is so hungry that he can barely even wait another second he begins to rock in his high chair so violently that it begins to back up against the wall and I fear that he’ll come flying out at any minute. At that moment I realized fully the need to have straps and the importance of using them when feeding dinner to your hungry toddler. When Benjamin is full or simply not interested in eating anymore he begins to sneak bites of food under his tray and proceeds to drop them on the floor. He’s even found some hungry doggies that don’t mind cleaning up after him.
Don’t let their innocent looks fool you. These boys are ornery. Taylor knows what I’m saying when I tell him “No, don’t steal Benjamin’s toy.” Yet he proceeds to yank the toy out of B’s little hands. While Benjamin begins to wail Taylor gives me this innocent, questioning expression as if to say “What are you going to do about it?” Oh my! These kids are already making up excuses and diffusing blame and they can’t even talk yet. Benjamin, however, is the closet bully. You wouldn’t know it by his looks but when angry Benjamin makes his appearance he lashes back at Taylor by gnawing on his arm. This is usually preceded by a string of pushing and hair pulling that often requires immediate intervention.
There are some forms of communication that have triggered visions of future things to come. Benjamin and Taylor have begun pushing away as a visual cue for “no.” At first, I found this to be endearing. They had learned how to communicate they were “all done” with a sweep of their hands as food flies from their trays and scatters around their high chairs (again, thankful for our four-legged scavengers). They now use this forceful push of their hands to communicate a variety of things from “I’m not thirsty” to “I don’t want that toy” and, the most disheartening of all “You’re getting too close, Mommy.” It is important to little B that I keep my distance from him. Meaning “You can hold me close, but not too close and I’ll let you know when you’ve crossed the line.”
Meanwhile, Taylor has grown fond of food. You might think, “Well, what kind of food?” I haven’t yet met a food that Taylor didn’t like (well, except for banana bread). Taylor chows down on just about everything, stuffing his face to the point of choking at which time he proceeds to regurgitate the big blob of food in his mouth. And don’t put the cheese curls away too quickly or you’ll find Taylor pinching at the air and screeching for more. I find myself thinking “I’ve really got to work on their manners. When did these kids become so rude?” I’ve realized, however, that I can’t take it personally. It’s the only form of communication they have. So, I’ll sit back and wait for the day when I can have conversations with my boys. When I can reason with them. And, most of all, when I can teach them some good, wholesome manners like “It’s not okay to take half-chewed food out of your mouth and throw it at me.” In the mean time, I’ll have to remember not to laugh at their antics for fear of encouraging these little monsters to be just that…little monsters.
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