My fam came to visit on Saturday. It was a belated-Father’s-Day, preemptive-Uncle-Bubba’s-birthday extravaganza (i.e. we sat around, talked, drank coffee, went out to eat, and then put the Big Boys to work while the woman folk talked about the Little Boys).

JJ was quite excited for the day to come. All week long: “Uncaunca Bubba comin soon?” “Granddaddy comin soon?” This has inspired some experiential learning. Now JJ has a concept of days. “Granddaddy comin in two days.” “Uncaunca Bubba comin in one day?” Of course, now he thinks if he asks for them to come in one day, it will happen, because of course that’s the way it should be for the Little Prince.

And speaking of the Little Prince, JJ is also learning the art of negotiation/manipulation/hostile takeover. My folks arrived, and Granddaddy was sitting in a chair with Little A. Hubby was in the recliner. Gran and I were on the love seat. JJ was bouncing around the room trying to organize us into some sort of activity: actually, he was mostly trying to organize the Granddaddy – “Granddaddy play darts?” “Granddaddy play games?” “Granddaddy play de basketdeball?”

Finally he figured something out that we couldn’t say no to: “Wanna hold bruvver.” Which is totally the low card to play: he knows what all the child development folks say about letting the older sibling have access to the younger sibling so as not to foster jealousy although it may foster slower learning in the younger sibling as his head is squished in a “loving” hug. So Granddaddy was going to make room for JJ to hold Little A.

“No! Daddy’s chair!”

We thought he wanted to hold Little A in the recliner.

“No! Daddy here.”

He wanted Hubby to hold Little A with him?

“No! Here!”

In the chair that Granddaddy was sitting in.

So after playing fruit basket upset, we had Granddaddy uprooted holding Little A, Hubby in Granddaddy’s chair, Gran and I on the couch, and JJ perched precariously on the edge of the blue chair. As soon as Granddaddy made the pass-off of the little one to Hubby, JJ jumped off the chair and declared while running down the stairs: “Granddaddy play eh de basketdeball!”

Oy. Whatever the Little Prince wants, eh?

Daily Drivel, JJ Jawings