One of the most common questions M and I answer these days is how Monkey is behaving now that Jellybean has arrived. This question comes in many different formats and forms, but basically, everyone wants to know if Monkey is jealous.
And the short answer is, sometimes.
The long answer is that 98% of the time, Monkey loves being the big sister. She parrots the things we say but with her childish inflection and doe-eyed wonder at the world.....so things like "she's awake" and "look, Jellybean" convert from mundane sentences to the most adorable little vignettes of domesticity ever. When she tells you that the name of her baby doll is "jellybean" you want to just squeeze her tight and hope that her joy and wonder rub off on you - joy by osmosis!
But then, occasionally, things don't go quite as swimmingly.
Last week I was invited to participate in Monkey's school day for an hour - all the parents were invited to come in. They called it "work with your child" and it was a fun way to see what her life is like at school. Of course, being the dork that I am, all I could think about was the scientific principle (the name escapes me right now) that, by being present to observe the phenomena, you change it with your presence. But I digress.
Monkey and I arrived at school, and her day started. Taking off of coats and snowboots, putting her name on the fridge, putting away her lunch, all her normal chores. Then....books! (of course) Lots and lots of books.
Mama, read this. Mama read this. And this. And THIS. AND THIS. Sensory overload on books.
We were having a grand old time when her friend Nomi wandered over to give me a hug. Nomi always hugs me, so this is no big deal. But on this morning, Monkey was just.....not.....having.....it.
She announced, with a good deal of force, "no, walk away. MY mommy!" and then, in case her point was not clear, she took Nomi by the shoulders and showed her on her way. You know, with a polite shove.
She has to share at home. By god, she was NOT going to share at school, too.
No comments:
Post a Comment