Life with Will (or how we are raising a thug...)



Parenting Sophie has definitely kept Matt and I on our toes. She is bright, passionate and creative, but she also brings new meaning to the term "strong-willed." We knew parenting a little boy would be very different, and we sort of assumed that Will would be the "easier kid" - the laid-back guy that would follow Sophie's lead. We could not have been more wrong. 

Last month at Will's 18 month check up, our amazing pediatrician confirmed what we'd suspected for several months. In the strong will department, Will is a male version of our first born. Will is also a bright kid, and he uses his intelligence to try and gain total world domination. While he may not have achieved world domination just yet, there are days he has managed to dominate our household! Now one major difference our doctor mentioned (and another we've already noticed) is that while Sophie's will surfaced in emotional drama, Will's seems to surface with physical drama. Of course, Will's size makes this lots of fun!

So, Wild Will had his first day of school today. Though Sophie and I started several weeks ago, we delayed Will beginning school until he could go several weeks in a row without a break so we could maintain some consistency to help him adjust. Last night, we helped him practice lying on his nap mat. I am happy to report that napping on the mat went well today, though I'm
 pretty sure that is about all that went well. His teachers reported that he just didn't seem happy most of the day. Having been with Will when he "just didn't seem happy most of the day," I felt very sorry for his poor teachers. A grouchy thug is no fun! I am hoping and praying this is just a matter of adjustment.

Will seems to be going through a true thug stage, in which rather than talking to people or even smiling shyly, he snarls or growls at others. He has no trouble express his frustration, but does have some trouble doing so without screaming to the point that glass actually shatters. Sophie is looking forward to the day when Will doesn't ask her to move by grabbing her ponytail and moving her himself. Though these days are challenging with Will, they have been full of verbal leaps and bounds, and he truly adds words to his vocabulary each day. Now if we could just get him to use his words when he is upset! 


And while restaurants and car trips continue to be just shy of a nightmare, we are so very thankful for our large, thuggish, but amazingly sweet and precious little man. Will is truly a joy, and though the 18-month mark has brought with it new challenges, we are seeing more and more of the strong, intelligent leader that the Lord is growing Will to be. Matt and I have already embraced the responsibility of raising a strong-willed child, and we are committed to helping shape Will's "strong will." For now, however, we are committed to loving our little man through the tough stages and to keeping him out from behind bars as long as possible...

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Happy 31st Birthday!

Image
Happy 31st Birthday Matt! Most people say things like, "I can hardly believe it's been a year since we fill-in-the blank... My, where does the time go???" Well, I know where the time since your last birthday has gone. It's been right here backing over us like a mack truck! All I can think as I remember last Halloween is how has it only been one year since you were celebrating your 30th birthday by going to a Halloween bash designed for teenagers while Aunt Pam and I took the kids trick-or-treating in the rain? It seems like at least three years ago since you and I were in the house with a princess throwing a fit about something while Aunt Pam was on the front porch knocking on the door to let us know our dragon had just made himself throw up to avoid wearing his costume. Seriously. Are you sure you're not turning 35? Since this year has been oh-so-eventful, I thought it would be no problem to come up with 31 memorable moments from the past year! 1. Begin at the b
Read more

She Never Stops Talking

Image
Sometimes when Matt is home for extended periods of time, as he was during the week of Thanksgiving, he has the opportunity to notice new things about our children. Not that he isn't connected to them - he is an amazing, hands-on, intentional dad, but the fact that he spends much of his time at work means that there are little "joys" his misses out on.  One of the little "joys" he misses most of the time is the opportunity to spend long periods of time in the car with our kids. (I attribute Matt's perpetual cheerfulness to this fact, but that is another story...) Over Thanksgiving, however, Matt spent all kinds of time in the car with our offspring, and he was stunned by the number of times Sophie said "Mama..." Now, she said it no more and no less than she normally does, but the fact that Matt was in the car and I was talking, or trying to talk, with him seemed to highlight how often the word that has become my name was uttered. Sophie has always
Read more

Sophie's 8th Birthday

Image
Sophie had one of her most perfect days on her 8th birthday, and I loved that we were able to give her a dream-come-true day! She woke up to a birthday breakfast, but without our typical doughnuts because we were headed straight for the Franklin Farmer's Market. We showered her with art supplies and an Ariel birthday sign, and she was thrilled about all of them!  At the Farmer's Market, Sophie roamed around like the gypsy she is, thrilled to have $10 (instead of her usual $5) to spend! You can't imagine how much Sophie can buy with $10 at the Farmer's Market! When honey sticks are going for a quarter, that can make for a long day! It was hotter than blue blazes, and we'd brought Aunt Tori, Uncle Derek, Aunt Hope, and Zoe, so over half our crew had to head inside The Factory before Soph had finished her shopping, but not before we all enjoyed treats and lunch from Biscuit Love!  After the Farmer's Market, we all head to Honey's, a new candy
Read more