He wanted to know what would happen if we saw a bear. I explained that it depends where we are when we see one. If we see one in our backyard, for example, we would need to contact someone to come help him. If a bear was in our neighborhood he would be in danger. He could be hit by a car, or shot by someone he scared, and we need to make sure someone is called like the Zoo, or animal protection, or anyone who could help the bear find his way home.
Now on the other hand, if we were camping in Colorado and we see a bear, we are technically in his territory, so we need to respect his home and be prepared and learn what to do if we see the bear.
He seemed to half listen and changed the subject to ninjas or teenage turtles or something else that he loves to talk about, so we moved on.
And I fell asleep. Yes, I still fall asleep with my son sometimes. I don't fall asleep as often anymore, but I stay with him in his bed until he falls asleep every night. And I don't mind one bit. It isn't often that he struggles to sleep. so it's only about 20 minutes out of my day. Honestly, the struggle to get him to brush his teeth, pee and crawl into bed is a bigger one than getting him to fall asleep. That's the easy part, actually.
So anyway, this morning as I got out of the shower, I heard him repeat, almost word for word, the plan of what he would do if he saw a bear in our backyard...
"...we'd have to protect him, daddy. So we'd have to call the Zoo, or the police, or someone so he doesn't get hit by a car."
It was the sweetest thing. I have no idea why he wondered about a bear. Maybe they read a book about bears or something. But he was very concerned about this, and clearly my answer resonated with him.
It just goes to show how much influence we have on our kids. We have to pay attention to the information we say not only to them, but to each other in front of them. He is watching and absorbing every single word I say and even how I say it. The best part about what he said can't be typed. He used this kind of inflection to the words as though he was reading a list. He turned his sweet little head to the side and was very serious about what he had to say.
He melts my heart, that little one.
He also started his new Little Ninjas class this week.
He's the one in the Spiderman t-shirt that looks absolutely terrified.
And he was terrified. He didn't really want to do a lot of what the rest of the class was doing. He sat there, seemingly frozen, during most of the class.
Have you ever seen a trait in your child that was like a mirror in front of your face? Do you ever see traits in them that echo traits about yourself? Perhaps ones that you aren't that proud of?
I am proud of BBZ every day, so that's not really what I mean. What I mean is that I know I am often afraid to try new things. I want to be automatically awesome at something and if I'm not, I shy away from it. Possibly because I don't want to appear inept, but also perhaps because I am uncomfortable in new situations. Whatever the reason, that trait has clearly been passed down wither through my genes or through my example, to my first born.
The whole class was trying the moves. Everyone seemed to want to participate...except BBZ. By the end of the class he had warmed up some, and now that we all know what to expect, we can practice and he can be a bit more prepared next week. Luckily, the class runs all the way until May, so he will have a lot of time to become more comfortable. And hopefully he will watch himself become better and have a different perspective when he tries the next new thing.
Now I am going to try and find something new to try so I can practice what I preach!
