Being a parent is definitely the hardest job I've ever had...although my life has been pretty easy as far as jobs go (cashier, secretary, waitress, teacher, and dive coach to name a few)! But being the mom of a boy is just...well? Not necessarily harder, each gender comes with its own set of challenges, just more...taxing. Yes, that's the word! Isaac drains me, much faster than either of my girls, physically AND emotionally. Doing something with Isaac takes more preparation, more energy, and more oomph than doing anything with my girls. Although being Isaac's mom has its perks!
I lost my baby-weight after Isaac much faster because of how much he ate, how fast he ate it, and how quickly he crawled away afterwards!
When Isaac was a toddler, he helped me hone the skill of multi-tasking as I cooked dinner, watched Audrey color at the table, and listened for Isaac's mischief from wherever he was in the house. I have also learned to do just about anything while "listening" to Isaac talk, non-stop, clearly and correctly (with the exception of only a couple words), since before the age of two!
Isaac has increased my patience as I have learned to calmly (most of the time) diffuse his "fits" that occur regularly when he can't do something as quickly, as easily, or as adeptly as he would desire.
Isaac has also helped me learn the culture of kindergarten, as he has already come home with some choice words and gestures. The most recent? He got mad at Ava and flipped her off (or so it looked from a distance). Mr Dawson is a wonderful teacher and realizes that Isaac is a bit naive to what most "other boys" do, so he calmly told Isaac that what he was doing wasn't nice and the three of us chatted after school. When asked about it, he said, "She made me mad so I flicked her."
"And what is that, Isaac?" Mr. Dawson asked.
"Well, Fabian does it." Isaac retorted.
"Can you show me what you did to Ava?" I asked. With head hung, and those squinty eyes he makes that are not always sincere, he lifted up his right hand, and then his pinky finger. I had to stifle my giggles and didn't dare look at Mr. Dawson.
The two of us assured Isaac that this was rude and not at all appropriate behavior to our friends, no matter what finger we chose to use (we likened it to sticking out your tongue at someone).
And to add to that, I must say that Isaac has filled our lives with laughter. When he is good, he's REALLY good. He loves to be a helper, especially in the kitchen! He has the amazing ability to do everything while moving...he watched a hockey game this past Friday night while half hanging, half climbing on the railing directly behind his chair. The usher, much annoyed, finally gave up asking Isaac to sit down, again and again, after Randy told her, "We're just happy he's in the vicinity of his chair."
Life just wouldn't be the same without Isaac. And for all the times I ask him to smile for a family photo and he doesn't, or makes a goofy face instead, here is one really great picture of Isaac that I took just last week.
2 comments:
That was so sweet. A full blog about one of your children. Isn't it amazing how different kids are. They come from the same situation, come out the same way and go about their first years of life the same, but they all turn out differently. You gotta love boys. All the work your putting in now will definitely turn out to make you proud later down the road-when it really matters. You are doing a great job!
Ha. I bet Arlene would have written something like this for Randy if she had a blog when he was growing up. Needless to say, I do have to say that we miss watching him grow up. It also sounds like a male teacher was just the right thing that Isaac needed for his schooling. It makes us even more excited that we'll have our own little boy soon. Let's just hope he takes after Alli. JK.
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