Sam's "Problems"

It’s true.  Three-year-olds have problems.  Struggles, really.  Especially newly-turned-three-year-olds.  Coming to the age of three, up from the age of two, is an emotional event.  There is a whole new world of expectations and discoveries.  I can barely remember being so little, but I do remember feeling small and uncertain about what was going on around me.

It's not easy being three.  Or green.

Wait.  He isn't green.  Thank goodness.  (I hid the markers.)

Actually, growing up isn't easy at all.  I don't envy the little people.  

First problem: holding up three fingers.  Learning coordination to hold the pinky finger under the thumb is difficult.  Holding up two fingers is much easier.  Or four fingers.  Now Sam accidentally shows people that he’s four.  When we try to help him with showing three fingers, he gets frustrated and angry.  So we’ll let people be confused when they ask him how old he is, and he says “free” while holding up four fingers.  There could be bigger issues.  Let the little man learn.

Second problem: forks.  We can never seem to give him the correct fork.  Since Sam wants to do everything exactly the same as Big Brother Ben, we (as dumb parents) assume that he’ll want the same utensil that Ben has.  WRONG.  I give him the same type of fork as Ben.  (salad fork)  I am greeted with a high-pitched, whiny “NOOOOOO….EYE WUN BOOOOO FORK!!”  Oh  my.  The blue toddler fork.  How could I have missed this? 

Third problem: pee-pee.  It is way more fun to play than to take time to go pee-pee in the toilet.  (And what adult does not know this?  Who can join me in raising their hand to holding it for an extra 30 minutes just 'cause you didn't want to get up?)  Sam loves to wear his Spider-Man underwear, not pull-ups.  This is not good when he suddenly starts shrieking “PEE-PEE!!!” as he runs to the toilet, having already wet himself.  Yet, five minutes before, he absolutely refused to have a “pee-pee check” when Mama asked.  “No, no, there NO pee-pee!” he insisted.  (Another problem: denial.) 

Fourth problem: Big Brother Ben is taller.  He can hold toys up over his head, out of Sam’s reach.  (We are working with Ben on his sharing issues.  Also on Sam.  They both have sharing issues, as most people do.)  However, currently, to Sam – his problem is not sharing, it is that he is not as tall as Big Brother Ben.  Daddy and Mama think that this problem will quickly be resolved – just give him a few years.  He may even outgrow BBB.

Fifth problem: Quick thinking.  Known to the parents as “Indecisiveness.”  However, to Sam, we are just slow.  For example, breakfast.  “What would you like for breakfast, Sam?”  He says toast.  So I make him toast.  Meanwhile, Ben comes in and announces that he’d like some cereal.  So I make cereal for Ben.  When I put the toast in front of Sam, again I am greeted with the high-pitched, whiny “NOOOOOO….EYE WUN EAR-EEE-ULLL!!” As if to say, “duh Mom, didn’t you know that once Ben says he wants cereal, that immediately makes my prior request of toast null and void??” 

I wish I had Sam’s problems.  I will never again have the first problem: I ran out of enough fingers to announce my age about 25 years ago.  However, I can imagine that if I live for another 40-50 years, I might devolve into the last four problems.  Funny how we come full circle, huh?  Oh dear.  I hope Jesus comes back first.  I would hate to think that I would argue with someone about a fork.

Also, dear little Sam, I know that your struggles are big to you.  I just pray that your struggles are never too big for you to conquer - that you'll never stop trying to work through them, or around them, or over them.  However you decide to attack them.  You are one strong little man.