3.22.2012

How Big is Liam?

At two o'clock he met a gorilla.
"Hey you," said the grouchy ladybug. "Want to fight?"
"If you insist," said the gorilla, beating its chest.
"Oh, you're not big enough," said the grouchy ladybug and flew off.
--from The Grouchy Ladybug by Eric Carle

****

"Mom, look, I'm big," Liam said, making an argument for why he should be allowed to go outside by himself like the other kids.

"No, Liam, you are still little. You may not go outside without me," I told him.

"No, I not little," he replied.

"Yes, actually you are," I said.

"No, I big like you," he said, coming over to me and standing on his tippy toes. He walked over to where Solomon was sitting in his highchair. "Solly, I'm big, right?"

"NyyyyyyyyOOOOO!" Solomon replied. (Because that is what he says to everything asked of him.)

"Well, I don't like you," Liam blurted back defiantly. (I couldn't help but think: At 3 o'clock, he met a Solomonkey. "Hey you, want to fight?"....."Oh, you're not big enough and he flew off.....)

The next morning, Liam asked for milk. I poured him a cup of milk.

"Nooooo! I need it in a sippy cup!" Liam exclaimed, pushing away the big-kid cup I had placed in front of him.

 "Liam, you are 4. Big boys don't use sippy cups and you are a big boy now," I told him.

"No, I'm no-ot. See? I little!" he said, scrunching down in his seat with his hand on top of his head.

(At six o'clock the grouchy ladybug arrived right back where it had started from.)

This growing up thing....it's complicated.

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