Ever since Charlton was born, James has tried to act mature. He will come and help me get things from the car; he will try to assure me that he can take care of his little brother while I'm cooking; he talks to Gillian, to her dismay, as if he was her older brother, too; and most recently, he has developed these facial expressions and body language that reminds me of adults. He doesn't do this all the time, but it's very entertaining when he does it. I try very hard not to laugh at my tiny little boy who tries to act as a giant.Today I saw the mature James in action, again. Every Pre-K day, I take Zoe and James to school in the morning, and Amy brings them back in the afternoon. Every morning, Zoe has a hard time with the seat belt of her booster seat. I usually help her, but this morning, I was running late, and so I told the children to get in the car and put their seat belts on, while I changed Charlton's diaper. When I get in the car, I see James helping Zoe with the seat belt, and these are the words I hear coming out of James' mouth:
"You've got to learn to be independent. What are you going to do when I turn 5 and go to Kindergarten? I'm not going to be here to help you with this seat belt. You need to learn to do things on your own. Do you understand me, Zoe?"
Zoe didn't say anything, probably confused at who said those words, her mom or this scrawny little boy. It goes to show how much our children listen to us, even when we think they aren't. I can't remember how many times I have said some of those same words to my children. I have to admit, though, it sounded way funnier when James uttered them.
Children are a joy.
