Memories

Today was an unbelievably hard day. I can take most things Jack throws at me, but when he's mean to me I just want to roll up in a ball and give up. Today was one of those days. I know he is just testing boundaries, but the kid spent most of the day in time outs, one after another, after another. I know it is largely because his life is getting turned upside down. Adda and Poppi are gone, we are in the process of moving, and Zack is working in San Diego a few days a week. Heck, it's a lot for me to handle and I have over a quarter of a century on this kid. I kept thinking about something I read the other day about not just surviving our children. I try so hard to be in the moment, but today I'm afraid all I did was survive Jack. We had one moment today where I worked through my "I'm off of caffeine again" headache, and we sat and talked about change and how he felt inside. He told me he felt real bad inside and didn't want to move and leave his friends. All I could do was hug him, reassure him that I love him always, and that we would make new friends and always remember our old ones. Such a big lesson for such a small fry.

On a side note, Jack told me today that if he went into the street without holding one of our hands he would be hit by a car and his head would fall off. I was so shocked. I have no idea where he came up with such a gruesome idea! I asked him, and he blamed Zack. Zack however vehemently denies ever saying such a thing to Jack. I told him his head wouldn't fall off, but he kept insisting it would. Finally, I just let him go on believing it. Maybe it will help him not go in the road alone, or maybe 20 years from now I will get to hear him tell the story of how I told him his head would fall off if he went in the street on his own. Hopefully this entry will serve as a record that he came up with that one all on his own.

Jack is also convinced that his teeth will turn green if he doesn't brush them. "Like the Hulk". This one Adda is responsible for. They saw a picture of the Hulk on a trash can during beach week and in response to Jack's questioning why his teeth were green, Adda told him it was because he didn't brush them. Good thinking. Except now he insists on brushing his teeth, and crys in his crib at nap time if he remembers he didn't brush them. I have tried also to be honest with him and tell him chances are his teeth won't be green if he misses one day, but he doesn't believe me. Like I said. Twenty years from now, that one's on Adda's tab. My tab is full...enough believe me. :)