More About Seth....

My boy has been a total crankpot the last couple of days. I suspect he's going through a growth spurt, because he is extra tired and not very hungry. He is also whiny about everything.

Yesterday while doing our flyer route, he wiped out while running. The world came to an end. Fortunately, only his hands were skinned, but they weren't even close to bleeding. This mattered very little to Seth.

"I absolutely CANNOT do any more flyers!" he emphatically stated.

I kissed his hands and tried to get his mind off the stinging.

"Do you know one of the reasons why God made your hands?" I asked him.

"Why?" {sniff, sniff......wail}

"To protect you when you fall. Imagine how much worse it would have been if your hands weren't there and your head hit the concrete instead?"

He actually nodded his head and for a moment I thought he might stop.

He didn't.

He wailed and whined for at least ten minutes (even though I suggested amputation, an offer which he didn't accept) until I grew impatient with his whining. We came to one house where a man was working outside. He asked Seth what the matter was. Of course, Seth wouldn't answer, but just continued to stand there with his lip hanging down, so I told the gentleman that he had fallen and skinned his hands. He very kindly offered to go inside his house to get him a bandaid. Although Seth refused his offer, it seemed to stop his crying. Thankfully.

Fast forward to today.

He has a doctor's appointment tomorrow. I have been telling him that he would be able to stand on a scale to see how much he weighed, and then see how tall he was - stupidly thinking that he would find this interesting. Instead, he began whining and *very strongly* informing me that he was NOT GOING TO THE DOCTOR! He finally told me, after much prodding, that he didn't want to go because he didn't want to step on the scale! (Like mother, like son, I thought.)

I said: "Why not?"

"Because I don't want to take off my shoes!" he replied with his lip continuing to hang low. (Hmm, not exactly the reason I strongly dislike stepping on the scale....)

"Why don't you want to take off your shoes?" I asked.

"Because then they will see my feet, AND I DON'T WANT ANYONE TO SEE MY FEET!" (Now seeing my feet is fine, but smelling them.......well that's another thing altogether.......)

{Heavy sigh.....}

I told him before bed that he was having an apple for his snack, and ONLY an apple. He had two pieces of cake at grandma's house and he didn't need anything else. Again.....the wail.

"But mom, MY BELLY DOES NOT WANT AN APPLE! IT WANTS A TREAT! IT TOLD ME SO!"

"I really have very little concern about what your belly would like Seth," I said. "Your belly really doesn't scare me all that much." I realize I need to lessen my sarcasm, but honestly, sarcasm just seems so necessary sometimes. And fulfilling.

And so his apple was consumed, again with a deformed lip.

Finally, on a better note, tonight he was getting his jammies on. One of his duties is to "get his bed ready", which involves turning back the covers and lining up his million stuffed animals exactly right. (OCD perhaps?) Usually I have to prompt him to do this. Tonight, however, he told me not to come into his room. Of course, I knew why but didn't let on.

"Okay mom. You can come and look at my room!" he yelled.

I went to his room to find his bed very nicely "ready". I told him he did a good job with a smile. Not impressed, he told me that that wasn't what I was supposed to do.

"What was I supposed to do?" I asked.

"This," he replied, and then gave me a demonstration.

And so ended our evening on a good note. Of course, this picture looked so much like myself I just had to use it........:)