Good Elijah Returns
Since Regina and I finally lowered the velvet hammer of discipline yesterday, Elijah has been a marzipan-like delight. It seems like he woke up actually respecting us, which is something we haven't felt in a while. I had this converation with him today:
"Daddy, you can do whatever you want whenever you want to."
"I don't know if that's true."
"Yes, it is. Because you are very smart and Bhotman likes you."
Bhotman, for the new readers among us, is Elijah's imaginary superhero friend, and the main character in a vast mythology of superheroes that I call the Elijahverse.
"Thank you, son."
"I wuv you, daddy."
AWWWWWWWWW! Everyone check your insulin levels.
OK. Are you back? All day, Elijah has been considerate, inquisitive, and easygoing. The only off moment came when he decided to go nuts and whip his Slinky all over the living room floor. It was annoying and noisy, and plus it was scratching the floor. So we said, "Elijah, do you want us to take the Slinky away? And then send you to your room?"
And then, he stopped.
Later, he and Regina were putting little gel tablets into a bowl of water and watching them expand into foam dinosaurs.
"Mommy," he said. "We can't take this water with us when we go in the car, because I might spill it on myself and then I might freak out and hit someone and then I'll have to sit in my bedroom."
Welcome, finally, to cause-and-effect land.
We're feeling so confident, in fact, that we're setting up new rules all over the place. For instance, if Elijah wakes up before 6 AM, which he's been doing consistently the last week, he's allowed to come get us--once. After that, he has to play quietly in his room until we wake up. He may just be old enough to pull this off.
Also, and more importantly for the outside world, humping has been outlawed, both the practice and the word. It's just not appropriate. Cinderella's mother is pretty tired of watching her daughter and Elijah's on the playground, and I want to remain her friend. I told Elijah of the Hump Embargo.
"I want to tell Cinderella about it," he said. "In private."
"Private is where you get into trouble," I said.
"I just want to tell her in my bedroom with the door closed. Or her bedroom with the door closed. Or maybe in the bathroom."
"Just stop, Elijah," Regina said. "If we catch you doing that with Cinderella, we're going to have to put you in your room."
"Can Cinderella come in my room with me?"
Argh. At least he's not having temper tantrums.