Boys Will Be Boys...

...that grow up (too) quickly

A couple of weeks ago we went to the mountains (Gatlinburg) to visit one of my best friends from college. She and her family were meeting up with her in-laws since it is midway for both of them. She has twins that are a month older than Jed and a 9 month old. (Side note here: she just amazes me with how organized she is with living with 4 kids...her husband will forever be a kid!)

As we were driving up the mountain, entering Gatlinburg, Jed spotted the creek running down the side of the mountain. It was snowing that day and very cold.

"Mama, want to get in the water."

"Honey, it's too cold outside."

"Put my jacket on Mama."

"It's too cold to play in the water. Maybe when it gets warmer."

"Climb mountain Mama. Want to climb mountain."

"You're too little to climb the mountain. When you get bigger we'll climb the mountain."

"I bigger, Mama!!!"

"You are? When did you get bigger?"

"At Doctor. I bigger at doctor."

"Honey, you'll need to go to the doctor a few more times before you are big enough to climb the mountain."

Made perfect sense to me. A couple of weeks prior we had gone to the doctor's office for his 2 yr check-up (which was a couple of months late). And the doctor and all the nurses kept exclaiming how much bigger he had gotten since his last check-up.

I am happy to say that the twins and Jed had a wonderful time playing. The first 10 minutes or so were rough with repetitive "MINE!" claims uttered every time Jed touched a toy that was not his. But soon all three were armed with a motorcycle or truck and were driving them around the beds in the hotel room, tumbling off beds and having a grand time.

On the way home, I asked Jed if he had fun. "Yes. I go to mountain to see my friends."

*Side note: It was very reassuring to me, as a first-time mom of a young boy to see that other young boys act exactly the same with the rough-housing and tumbling and daredevil tricks. I feel that sometimes I let Jed have a bit more freedom than other parents might but I realized that I'm not the only when my friend encouraged the kids to place the pillows and chair cushions on the floor around the bed for landing mats as they played "Slide Off the Bed". As long as they are safe, having fun and not too disruptive there's nothing wrong with a bit of rambunctious or messy playing.