When the Older Two are Away, #3 Will Play.

#3 wasn’t quite sure what to do with himself while his big brothers were away at camp.  The house felt noticeably different without them here, and he responded to their absence not by flourishing under my attention, but by thrashing around on the furniture, hitting inanimate objects, and basically looking for trouble at every opportunity.  Mealtimes were an exercise in patience and manners futility, and without the other two to share the joy of the family table, he truly wilted under my attention.

Last Thursday, we found ourselves up early together making a plan for the day, and while we sat there, I realized how rarely  #3 gets to dictate the day’s events, given that he’s often along for the ride to baseball, carpool, or choir.  Since he’d been such a charmer all week, I thought, you know what?  This day is yours-let’s do whatever you’d like to do.  We had to dial back the expectations a little bit(Great Wolf Lodge, the beach, the mountains), but once we got his buddy SS on board for a playdate, we were home free.

SS is also a third child, and to know her is to love her.  She’s funny, and she’s sweet, and she’s a match for #3 in that they’re both physical, chatty, friendly, and indefatigable.  Listening to the two of them in the back seat was akin to listening to two teenagers who liked each other, with #3 telling tall tale after tall tale, and SS patiently listening, giggling, then saying “Awwwww, #3!” He had a captive audience, and she had his undivided attention, and everyone was happy.

I totally indulged these two-let them meander, let them linger at the elephants forever, let them try out their balance over and over and over on the railroad tie, let them have ice cream, let them play on the playground until they were ready to go.  They ran the show, and they couldn’t have been sweeter.

When you say yes to everything, if only for a few hours, a little magic happens.  And I’ll take it.

Hope everyone is having a great day!