So we went to the zoo again yesterday, lunch packed, all sorts of best intentions, and you know what? He hated it. HATED IT. Didn't want to see the animals, didn't want to do much of anything, in fact, but sink to the ground and wail, "Naaaaah!!!" Was it the heat? (It was pretty hot, after all.) Was it the subtle (or not so?) pressure of a "fun day out?" Was it just a bad moon phase? Dunno. So we left after much heroic effort to have fun, drove down the hill and went for ice-cream and a walk closer to home. And you know what? Fantastic mood for the rest of the day: giddy, silly, loving, talkative, the whole bit. If only we could parse out these $#@!#$ moods and see what they mean.
Three hallmarks of this current phase, at age 4 years, 0 months: obstinacy, limit testing and joke cracking (of a sort). Is it possible we're in early puberty?
hi susan
the zoo is hit or miss for us too. i think moodiness is a big part of the four-year-old boy, crummy not-so-loveable moods as well as ecstatic loving and tender moods. for our son, at least, the moods are sometimes related to being sleep-deprived as naps have pretty much been dropped but some days and weeks seem to require more stamina and energy. ice cream is often therapeutic. also, i have a blog now too, if you ever want to check it out, much more basic than this great and great big one...whereshouldwelive.blogspot.com
Posted by: jamie | July 05, 2007 at 10:05 PM
Susan, I have to get my whole family to read this post. We've been having these ongoing conversations about LegoLand and Sea World and Disneyland. My family is intent on generating a string of these outings during our upcoming visit. And while I continue to preach simpler is better, I fear no one is listening to me. I know my son will be happier with a trip to the playground than he will be with a trip to Disneyland. And why do I know this? Well...how much time do you have?
Posted by: kristen | July 06, 2007 at 05:35 AM