Time Capsule: Living With a Four-Year-Old
If you are feeling down or lonely, I have one suggestion for you: become best friends with a four-year old. They can be grumpy and demanding, but they also throw around a whole lot of unsolicited genuine love.
I am pretty sure Malcolm will be the last good four-year-old friend I have in a long time, and our short window of perfection is closing quickly so with that in mind, it's time to document some of the goodness.
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I have stains on the upper sleeves of couple shirts. Its a bizarre place for food to land, and its thanks to the four-year-old. Sometimes when we are sitting beside each other at the kitchen island, quietly eating our breakfast or snack or lunch, he remembers I'm his mom and he likes me. He turns to me, smiles up at my face silently, then gives me kiss at his nose level, which happens to be on my upper arm.
***
I taught him to squeeze my hand three times to tell me "I love you." My job is to to return with four squeezes "I love you, too." He lights up with esoteric pride every time.
***
He is deep into the phase that all kids go through when they quantify their love for you in distances. My recognition of this being my final time to walk hand-in-hand through this phase with a little person inspired this post. Here are some of my favourites:
"I love you all the way to Jupiter and then the North Pole and then the Kuiper Belt and the Unibelt."
The Unibelt is how the Universe usually comes out. He says this one a lot.
"I love you all the way around your head and even all the way through it." I chose to take that one as a commentary on the size of my intelligence rather then the literal size of my head.
And the best is when he does this whispering in my ear. If anyone else, of any age or level of intimacy, came up to me and came so close that their lips were touching my ear, their words hot and breathy full of ear drum pumping popping 'p''s, leaving behind thick moisture from spit and breath, I am certain I would push them away. Four-year-olds can get way with anything while flinging that joyous love around.
***
He wants to marry me.
Even though I remind him its against the law and I'm already married.
***
Once he came in for the "I love you" triple squeeze, but it kept going. For thirty seconds, he stared into the middle distance slowly an silently breaking down words into syllable squeezes. When he finished, he looked at me with expectation. "Do you know what I just said?"
"I love you all the way to Jupiter and then the North Pole and then the Kuiper Belt and the Universe," I said.
He beamed. "Mommy, how did you know?! Thats exactly what I said!"
He paused for a moment and then: "Mommy, you must really love me."
I am pretty sure Malcolm will be the last good four-year-old friend I have in a long time, and our short window of perfection is closing quickly so with that in mind, it's time to document some of the goodness.
***
I have stains on the upper sleeves of couple shirts. Its a bizarre place for food to land, and its thanks to the four-year-old. Sometimes when we are sitting beside each other at the kitchen island, quietly eating our breakfast or snack or lunch, he remembers I'm his mom and he likes me. He turns to me, smiles up at my face silently, then gives me kiss at his nose level, which happens to be on my upper arm.
***
I taught him to squeeze my hand three times to tell me "I love you." My job is to to return with four squeezes "I love you, too." He lights up with esoteric pride every time.
***
He is deep into the phase that all kids go through when they quantify their love for you in distances. My recognition of this being my final time to walk hand-in-hand through this phase with a little person inspired this post. Here are some of my favourites:
"I love you all the way to Jupiter and then the North Pole and then the Kuiper Belt and the Unibelt."
The Unibelt is how the Universe usually comes out. He says this one a lot.
"I love you all the way around your head and even all the way through it." I chose to take that one as a commentary on the size of my intelligence rather then the literal size of my head.
And the best is when he does this whispering in my ear. If anyone else, of any age or level of intimacy, came up to me and came so close that their lips were touching my ear, their words hot and breathy full of ear drum pumping popping 'p''s, leaving behind thick moisture from spit and breath, I am certain I would push them away. Four-year-olds can get way with anything while flinging that joyous love around.
***
He wants to marry me.
Even though I remind him its against the law and I'm already married.
***
Once he came in for the "I love you" triple squeeze, but it kept going. For thirty seconds, he stared into the middle distance slowly an silently breaking down words into syllable squeezes. When he finished, he looked at me with expectation. "Do you know what I just said?"
"I love you all the way to Jupiter and then the North Pole and then the Kuiper Belt and the Universe," I said.
He beamed. "Mommy, how did you know?! Thats exactly what I said!"
He paused for a moment and then: "Mommy, you must really love me."
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