Thursday, June 18, 2009

Junior Problem Solver

(This is another Lucas story. Sorry.)

Short story, but true. Lucas and I are playing with the toy vehicles he's obsessed with. I get a little toy plane wound up and aim at at Lucas. He steps aside and lets it sail under the bed. Far under the bed.

I asked Joan to get the laundry stick (a thing used to get stuff on and off the high points where we hang laundry) but she was too busy to get it. I didn't want to try both keeping track of a hyperactive toddler while going out to the balcony to find the stick, so I just told Lucas "sorry, I can't get it".

Lucas, pauses, staring at me. He then trundles off to the corner of the room where we have a long-forgotten old mop handle leaning for obscure historical reasons. This mop handle is something nobody's even glanced at for over a year. Lucas, however, not only spotted it but figured out how it could be used to get his precious aeroplane. He stands pointing at it making eager sounds and sure enough, I go get it and retrieve the plane.

That's already pretty impressive in its own right. This gets better, though. My son has a mischievous streak in him and as soon as the handle was put back he took his plane and threw it under the bed. He misjudged the distance, though, and I was able to snag the plane without the stick. So he threw it again, much more successfully. He glances up at me with twinkling eyes full of mischief, laughing at my expression.

Of course I'm not a nice person so I had Joan take him from the room for a short time. In that time I rescued the plane and hid the pole. When Lucas came trundling back he made a beeline for the plane and, as expected, laughed as he threw it under the bed. Then, when I didn't immediately go pick up the stick to rescue it, he trundled off to where the mop handle used to be and, without looking, pointed at it making urgent sounds. I affected confusion. He looked. The most crestfallen face I've ever seen him put on without crying materialized. He was utterly baffled, actually touching the wall to make sure the thing was actually gone.

Merriment ensued.

2 comments:

C. J. Barna said...

1) Lucas is a large part of your life right now (and for a long time to come) and you are going to have a lot of stories to tell about him.

2) You said the main reason you write this blog is so your Mom can be updated about your life, which Lucas is a part of.

Must we be berated with constant apologies whenever you write of your son? If we are comming here we are here to read about whatever aspects of your life you are willing to share. I personaly don't care what you write about as long as you keep writing about what interests you. I am sure your Mother would agree.

Hildrun said...

Lovely story; I can just picture all of the faces involved.
And Chris is right, no apologies are required; they are your stories on your your blog. Whoever isn't interested in what you have to say, can simply stay away. Your mother certainly enjoys the stories and checks for new ones almost daily. Keep them coming!