Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Sweet Suckers and Green Boats

DH and I are often amazed at how easy going S2 can be. He is so kind and good-natured, you have to wonder if he is for real. We have noticed that he will do most anything to make someone else happy.

One day he was enjoying a sucker he had received earlier that morning from the teller at the bank. A slightly younger neighbor girl came over to S2 on the front lawn and expressed some interest in the sucker. S2 slid it out from his pursed lips and handed it to her. Without a moment's hesitation, she stuck it directly in her own mouth. S2 stood there briefly and then walked over to me sitting on the front steps. I told him that it was very nice of him, but he did not have to give up his sucker. He replied that it was okay and that he didn't really want it anyway. Then his bottom lip started to quiver and he ran up the stairs into the house. I followed soon after to find my four-year old uncontrollably crying in the living room for the sadness of a lost-forever sucker.

Even as a ten-year old, S2 is still often thinking more about others' feelings than his own. This week he has been working with his dad to build a boat for the Cub Scout Rain Gutter Regatta. S2 had shown me a picture of a yellow boat earlier in the week that he wanted to copy. However, when S2 and DH brought it in the house, freshly painted from the garage, his boat was green.

On the way to the store to buy some stickers for the boat, I asked S2 why he changed his mind on the color for his boat. He replied, he had told dad that green was the color he wanted to paint the boat. I wasn't convinced that was really the color he wanted. But with each question, S2 repeatedly assured me that he loved his boat, and he loved the color green, and it was exactly what he wanted.

When I pressed further, knowing that he had probably gone along with the only color readily available in the garage so as to make DH's job easier, he firmly stood his stance. "Mom, I love green! It's just what I wanted. We are so lucky that was the only color we had, because green is my third or fourth favorite color!"

I think I could learn a lot from S2, because I am not nearly easy going. For example, no one has ever heard me confess, "I love senselessly dirty clothes. I love to do extra loads of laundry because someone wears something for 4 minutes and then throws it on the floor. It is really my favorite thing! It's exactly what I always wanted."

How's that sound? Are you convinced? Yeah, me neither.

10 comments:

  1. That just melts your heart. What a great kid.

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  2. Craver,

    He is great. We don't know where he gets it. Not from DH or me that is for sure.

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  3. Another smile at lunch.

    Sometimes I think kids are put on this earth to temper the grouchiness we develop as we get older.

    They invariably range between 'I'm glad I'm not a $h!t like that kid' or 'What an angel - I should try to be nicer.'

    Great kid and another great post!

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  4. Deb,
    I must respectfully disagree with your comments regarding where S2 gets his kindness from. Good parenting and genes perhaps? Joanne

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  5. Hi Debbie,

    Can we adopt your children? In all seriousness, he gets it from my buddy DH and you - parenting, genes, leading by example.

    Good night all.

    David

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  6. Oh Deb,

    You have such a sweet boy! It is amazing how each of our children really have very different personalities and characters despit us bringing them up the same way. But his true values will always come from you and DH.... he is so lucky to have such great parents!

    :-)
    Cecilia

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  7. Ozlady,

    Loved your examples! And I am getting grouchier as I get older, but I need to stop that trend.'

    Thanks!

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  8. Joanne,

    You are right. By claiming DH and I have nothing to do with S2's angelic qualitites, I should not be deleting the chance that those qualities just skipped a generation and came from his grandpareants!

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  9. David,

    No, you can't adopt my children. Yet. But DH and I are planning a trip next fall, maybe we could set up a one week trial for then. And if it doesn't work out, there is always their college funds you could adopt.

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  10. Cecilia,

    You are a doll. Sometimes it is humbling being a parent of such great kdis. As you know I am sure.

    Debbie

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