Raising Devils

Poopyheads R Us

Friday, October 16th, 2009 | Connecting the Dots

We have a playdate this afternoon, one of our favorite neighbors and a friend of all three. She, Lily and Wyatt are all playing an elaborate game of make-believe. Rory is not; she likes some quiet time after school to do things without, I suspect, teachers coming over to make sure she is doing them in the approved Montessori way (although she loves Montessori; she has a bell and she rings it constantly around the house, saying “Please sa-ye your work and come to circle!:)

But the make-believe family has moved down to the playroom, where Rory is, and I hear them all trying to blend in together. Who will be the leader? Will there be compromise–Ann is the teacher, but Rory has the bell.I am staying out of it. Looking in, I see Rory is still off on her own. I can’t see what she’s working on–a train track, I think–but she’s intent (and she’s given up the bell), so now the question is–can the other three leave well enough alone?

I’m hopeful. We see them more and more adjusting to one another, changing what they’re doing to add someone else to the game, or taking no for an answer, or even just altering an annoying behavior into a lesser one. Today in the car, I heard this:

Rory: You poopy-head!
Wyatt: No I’m not!
R: Yes you are. You poopy-head.
W: I’m not! You are! You’re a poopyhead!
R seems ok with this. R, happily: You poopyhead!
But Wy wants to win. W: You’re a poopyhead because you have black hair!
Oh, now it’s personal. R, outraged: I NOT! YOU POOPYHEAD!
W: I don’t have black hair. You do. You’re the poopyhead.

(The alterered grammar is accurate; listening to the two of them is like listening to Henry James debate Hemingway.)

R: NO!!!NO!!! I NOT POOPYHEAD! YOU! YOU!
W: Lily’s a poopyhead. (No response from the back seat, where Lily is talking to her friend.)
R: YOU POOPYHEAD!
W: Sam’s a poopyhead! (Sam isn’t in the car.)
R: Yes!
W: The trees! The trees are poopyheads!
R: They poopy! They poopyhead!

And then they moved on to some other topic. Perfect, if poopy, harmony.

Related posts:

1. Why We Call Lily Wednesday Now
2. How was the Big Birthday?
3. Imaginary Money
4. Something in the Nature of a Miracle
5. Nietzsche and Adoption

Tags: adjusting, poopyheads

1 Comment to Poopyheads R Us

Lisen
Friday, October 16, 2009

Go Wyatt! Way to deflect, buddy!!!!! Is there a future diplomat in your family?