I Heart Four-Year-Olds

A couple weeks ago, I know, I know, I was about to throw him out the window. And maybe next week I will want to again. But I just want to say that Calvin is pure joy to me right now. He makes me laugh, I feel like we "get" each other more often than not, he is exuberant and curious and smart and teachable, cooperating more than clashing, eager to help and expressive and creative.

I appreciate certain things about children at most any age, but this is the first phase or age of my children that I am most definitely thoroughly loving, with almost no exceptions. Anyone else have an age of child that they just utterly enjoy or treasure more than another?

Here are some things Cal has said that make me smile inside - mostly it's that he's trying out cliches or expressions that he has apparently overheard. It is just incredibly adorable to me.

We have a little routine after dinner here that Dad gives the boys their baths, reads them stories, then they come and get me from my evening vegetable state to say prayers with them.

For a few weeks now each night has been a little bit of an episode over the getting of mom for prayers, depending on who gets to me first or who yells down the hall to me before the first one can get to me. So David told them last night to hold hands to find me and tell me - together.

I heard the prayer discussion and was headed up the stairs as they were walking down, holding hands in their footy pajamas, Calvin waiting for Henry to navigate the steps. I commented on how nice they were to each other, holding hands and being good brothers.

To which Calvin answered, "Yeah, we were doing the married thing."

The clencher is this: when he said the word "married," he let go of Henry's hand to make the rabbit ear / quotation mark symbol with his fingers.

And I ask, where does a kid pick this stuff up? I could not help smiling (and maybe laugh a tiny bit) all through the prayer.

Today we had a little misadventure in DC, the end of which was marked by Calvin really needing to go to the bathroom and the people in the building nearest our car (Department of Agriculture) telling me that they didn't have a public restroom. I could see one from the entryway where I stood. Lying boldfaced to a pregnant lady and a legs-crossed preschooler. That can't make for good karma.

Anyway, I talked him into holding it until we got home (twenty minutes - pretty long by Calvin's standards) because the next building was a long cold walk and he'd be more likely to wet his pants on the way than if sitting in the car. Don't ask me about that reasoning. I just know these things.

We arrived home with dry pants and I told Calvin thanks for being such a big boy and waiting that whole long drive. And he said dramatically, "I sure couldn't have done it without you, Mom."

So tell me that being a four-year-old's mom is not cool. I'm goo-goo for him. Truly.