Yesterday John and I went to the dentist. After the hygienist had had her fill of inflicting pain and left me to scrape my nerves off the ceiling and collect myself, we waited. John was in one chair, and I was in the other chair. We just had to wait for the dentist to come in and give us 5 minutes of his time to check the x-rays and the teeth. John was getting pretty bored, so I got the basket of beanie babies and gave it to him to play with. Soon he’s got those little bears and animals playing in some kind of game, and the happy prattle almost lulls me into a tiny little nap.
Until something registers in my brain. I hear John saying, “I’m going to slap you across the face.” I look around the dental equipment to see him, and he’s playing with the animals, but keeps saying, “I’m going to slap you across the face,” over and over. Where did he pick up on that? Have I ever “slapped him across the face”? I’m pretty sure I’ve not. Have I ever said I was going to slap him across the face? Has his dad ever said that? I can’t remember ever hearing that in our home. But there he is, with his little animals telling each other over and over that they are going to slap each other across the face.
I’m hoping it’s from a tv show. Like Finneus and Ferb or something.
Plunged into guilt, I slink over to his chair to play with him. I mean, we’ve got some time to kill here, waiting for the dentist and all. But he won’t have any of it. “Mom, go away.” Um, excuse me? I’m your mother and I just want to play with you. I picked up one of the animals and tried to play with him, but he wouldn’t go along with me. It has to be his idea to play with me. So I slunk back to my own chair, the dejected mother who nobody wants to play with. As soon as I’m out of his sight, he’s back to playing with the little guys. It sounds like things are blowing up over there, and he’s happily playing.
Alone.
I heard Micah say that not too long ago. I wonder if it’s a preschool threat of some kind. I know it sounds harsh, but I think it’s pretty mild compared to how jr. high school kids threaten each other. Maybe he’s just hoping to sound tough. Babies of the family have to defend themselves somehow!
Sounds like a typical boy.
I’ve heard of moms who decide they won’t let their kids play with guns, and don’t expose them to TV with guns, etc., still end up having their boys pick up sticks and ‘shoot’ with them, making highly accurate gun sounds.
We want everything to be *our* idea, and our play animals play rough with each other. Explosions? What, haven’t you ever seen a ‘guy flick’?
🙂
I think I’d have a little talk with him and tell him you heard him saying that and maybe ask why, and maybe say that’s not words he should be using, etc. etc. At least he’ll know he shouldn’t talk like that again, right?
Sometimes Brooke starts playing with her “friends” without me and I feel terrible guilt for “forcing” her to go find something to do on her own, since I was too busy to play with her. But then I feel grateful that she’s developed that skill at all–to play by herself in an imaginary world happily. Now, the slapping sounds like something you may want to talk to him about, but I wouldn’t worry about him wanting to be solitary once in a while. He still loves and needs his mommy 🙂