Dear Max,
As you move closer to age five, I often look around for my little boy. You haven't had the chubbiness of a toddler for quite a while, but now you seem older in so many ways other than appearance. We are delighted by your ability to use appropriate manners and communicate in a respectful way. Do you always do it? No. But you can and you are eager to try most of the time. There is an increasing desire for chores and responsibility. We may have to discuss an allowance soon because you have realized you can weasel coins for your piggy bank in exchange for the chores. Of course, Mommy informed you that the money you save must be used to fund your scotch tape habit. You have an impressive vocabulary and a hilarious way of cocking your head to the side, raising your eyebrows and pursing your lips as you issue a proclamation.
After eliminating napping (your choice) for a month and the ensuing behavioral nightmares that arose, you have returned to napping 2-3 times per week. There were days when your room was completely destroyed during "quiet time" and more than once I was summoned upstairs to find you stripped down to your underwear. Working towards earning an electric train to be used during quiet time helped quell those particular issues.
Teaching school has become a new interest over the summer. You make class "lists" and post them on the wall. There are different classes according to who is teaching with you and the classes learn different things. You have conducted class using the chalkboard, in the bathtub, outside and while waiting in line. It is neat to see your handwriting progress as you create written agendas for your daily activities: Trains, Draw, Scone, Walk, Stop.
During your several bouts of illness this summer we allowed you to watch more movies, including some Disney classics and Toy Story 3. The parts I found terrifying (the toys on the verge of being incinerated in the huge furnace at the dump) didn't make you pause. It did inspire you to embark on a garbage-themed play streak, which lasted forever. We had enough shredded tissue and tiny pieces of paper to fill an entire red bin. Your play also taught Sarah an important new word: "Buzz". Not as in bees, but as in Buzz Lightyear.
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| Pile of Garbage |
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| Shredded Tissue and Paper |
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| Sarah joins the Garbage Collection Team |
The new maturity is evident in many ways. The play-doh "circus" included a discussion of safety issues. We don't want anyone falling off the tightrope! Babba receives lectures from Max when he knows he is not being properly supervised or led astray. "Sometimes Babba lets me do that, but I tell him I'm not supposed to." Max, you really want to be responsible in the caretaking of Sarah. "I block Baby so she doesn't go out the door because I know she might get hurt." Alas, her greatest danger is being loved to death by her big brother!
Safety First!
You will always be our silly boy!
Love, Mommy
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