Lawson is Most Definitely Three

"Lawson, you are such a big boy!" currently elicits the response, "No.  I still really little." with a quick turn around a few seconds later in the form of "I really kinda a big boy!"  His world is full of inconsistencies.  All things are relative and in order to fit himself or the objects around him into that world, what was once little a while can then become huge!  One thing that is almost always huge is how big of a deal it is to have his sister interfere in any way with the building of a train or driving of a truck.  That is always a huge deal.  Playing with his toys is one thing he feels in control of and he takes that role very seriously.  Currently he is repeating, "No, Ma'am" over and over as she is trying to ride the firetruck he's playing with.  At least he's being polite! She may get just a little bit of enjoyment out of watching him get riled up, which may be just slightly entertaining to watch. 

I really think we scored with Lawson!  He is a good kid when it gets down to it.  But, whoever decided the two's were terrible had obviously not had a three year old yet.  Two is a mere warm-up for what three has to offer.  It's not to say that all the fun parts of being two aren't amplified just like the more challenging aspects, but for as much joy as three brings, it brings a lot of head pounding  er, scratching on my part.  Frustration is a daily occurrence for both of us these days as he presses firmly against every boundary he can find.  Sometimes I handle it well and other times I find myself disappointed in my reaction.  Those aggravating moments that he tests me are the perfect opportunity for learning and sometimes I just don't rise to the occasion.  Sometimes, "Lawson, seriously, for the last time, just knock it off!!!" is about as good of response as I can muster.  The good news is that somehow, something we're doing is working because he seems to know his right from wrong.  He may not always choose to do the right thing, but that's part of the "testing boundaries" phase.  You can see that he knows what he's doing is wrong and is double checking that we're paying attention and that the consequence is remaining consistent.  I do sometimes wonder who is learning more during this phase.  The child in constant need of reassurance of everyone's roles and the rules that come with that role or the parents who are forced to pick their battles and win or else find themselves overtaken by a pint sized army of mischief!  Love is a battlefield and so is parenting.

Yes, he may at times knock his sister over or hit her when she invades his playing space, but he is quick to apologize with a hug and kiss.  Yes, he may say "I want.... I want..... I want....." instead of "I'd like....please" like I drill into him on a regular basis, but he usually says "thank you" without being asked.  He's well on his way and making daily progress.  He loves Naomi and is one of the most sensitive little guys I've ever encountered.  He's already crazy about Quincy and gives her hugs and kisses as well as a few little squeezes to get her out of my belly. The better he becomes at expressing himself, the more I get to know just who he is and the more I fall in love with him.  Being a mom to a three year old isn't easy, but it sure is fun.  I imagine that being a mom to three will be much the same!