My friend David, part II

Sam: "Last time, my friend David took a drink of toilet water."

Me: "That's terrible."

Sam: "It is. Then he choked."

My friend David

Sam has this terribly unfortunate friend, David, to whom the most tragic things happen.

David gets eaten by animals.

David falls off the chair.

David hurts himself on the sidewalk.

"One time my friend David got bited by a crocodile," Sam said last night.

The thing is, Sam doesn't have any friends named David. Grandpa's name is David, but he made it clear these tales are not about grandpa. I can only guess who he is imagining and what will happen next to that poor boy.

"How is your friend David today," I asked.

"My friend David did not get eaten by any crocodiles or any tigers or any lions," he replied.

"So is he having a good day?" I asked.

"Yes," said Sam. "Someday he's going to get in trouble by crocodiles. They're going to be wrestling him."

It's time to start praying now, David. 

First comes hugs

I knelt by Sam the other morning and gave him a couple tight hugs.

Getting up, I said "Now let's go brush your teeth. Come with me."

I walked a few steps toward the bathroom, but he didn't budge. 

"Come on," I said.

"But, but, mo-om," he said in a little broken voice. His face was twisted with the beginning of a wail.  "After hugs comes kisses."

That was a really sweet moment!

Songs of his people

I never know what I'm going to hear around here. A young, imaginative mind paired with a muddled comprehension of the world yields odd results. As in:

"All mish misha ride togethaaa. All mish misha ride togethaaa!" - as of yet unintified tune and origin

"We did not remember where we had gone. Oh where, oh where can the baby be?" - to the tune of "Where oh where has my little dog gone?"

"God is watching! God is watching!" - fairly accurate rendition of "From a Distance"

"Bang all day ahh Sunday niiiight!" - from the NFL theme "Waiting all day for Sunday night"

"App along ah if you feel... App along ah if you feel!" - from Pharrell's "Happy"

For some reason, I worried I was going to have to teach my child to have an imagination and play pretend - how ridiculous. It looks like that's hard-wired in to childhood. Creativity (and sound) oozes out of Sam as soon as his feet hit the floor in the morning. Oddly, it's harder to smile about than I expected. The noise is so constant and so immediate! It seems he is never quiet. I am usually quiet, so it can be quite grating for me. Sometimes I Just. Don't. Want. To. Hear. Noise.

Thankfully, I am pretty good at yoga breathing. And he's very cute when he sleeps. These things restore my soul.

Sorry, Daniel Tiger

I overheard Sam yelling at Daniel Tiger the other day:

"No, I am not your friend! I am not!"

Perhaps it's not such a beautiful day in the neighborhood after all.

Hold on... Nothing.

"I like myself," Sam said.

"You like yourself?" I asked.

"Mm-hmm," he said.

"I LOVE yourself," I said.

"I'm talking to myself," he said. "Hold on. I'm talking to myself. Hold on. Um. Nothing."

Say Something

Some of the most beautiful songs are so, so sad. And sometimes I play them just because they are so sad. I'm not sad, but there are times when a sad song feels just right.

"Say Something" by Great Big World is one of those heart-wrenching songs, and I get lost in it. It makes me cry, which my son has seen happen. Whenever he hears any part of the song, he says "This is a very sad song."

Today "All of Me" by John Legend was playing and Sam said "This is a sad song." I said it was not - it is a love song. 

"Say everything I'm giving up on you," Sam said. "That is a very sad song. It is playing when you cry."

The kid has an astounding memory. He's also very interested in feelings.

And don't worry. Sometimes I play Frank Mills' "The Happy Song" on repeat. Life has room for both.