A Boy and His Blog

Archive for August, 2009

Lately, Owen has gotten really attached to Hop-Hop, his teddy bear that he got on his birthday in May. He calls Hop-Hop “my baby”. He feeds him, pretends to put clothes on him, puts him to sleep, potty trains him, takes him with us when we go somewhere and buckles him into our spare carseat, and is constantly saying things like, “my baby likes going there” or “I had to tell my baby about that, because he didn’t know.” I’m really pleased to see this kind of imaginative play from him that isn’t about robots! To actually be pretending that this bear is a living baby, and not a robotic machine, is huge social progress for him. It means he’s starting to connect with the humans, and learn empathy and compassion for other living things, not just robots. I’m really thrilled with the mega-progress he is making lately. And it is just in time for pre-school!

It is just so cute to see a child who has only had very mild attachments to stuffed animals or dolls, to be toting around  a teddy bear everywhere he goes. He cuddles up and sleeps with him, he remembers to take him when we go somewhere, and he talks about him like he is a real person that he must take care of and protect. I wonder if this partially due to James and I talking a lot about planning to have another baby soon. Owen has started to take an interest in that subject and will periodically suggest names for the baby (he’s recommended Finn, Sofia, and Kiki). He also talks about how he will help dress the baby, or play with the baby. He tells me to have 2 or 3 babies at one time sometimes.  He even said that if I have three, he can take care of one, I can take of one, and Daddy can take care of one. But a few times he has come to me almost in a panic and says, “I don’t want another baby, I changed my mind, so don’t have another baby, okay, cause I changed my mind, I don’t want a baby…”

I think Owen’s new “baby” may be a way for him to get used to the idea of having a new baby in the house. For some kids it may be way too soon to discuss a new baby, you know, because the Mama isn’t even pregnant yet. But for Owen I find the longer he has to get used to an idea and incorporate it into his life, the easier it is for him to adjust to. I’ve already seen a huge change in his attitudes since first mentioning anything about a baby, and this new development is a huge social step for him and I am so happy to see him doing it. It is always a little odd to me how late he hits some of these social steps, when he hits a lot cognitive or intellectual steps really early. And it is kind of neat how he works through them in his own time, even though he missed them a couple years ago when all the other toddlers were toting around blankies, teddy bears, and dolls. He has so much to learn socially, but I am really happy to see so much progress recently in his pretend play, and in his play with peers his age.

On June 20th we went Fossil Hunting with the Minnesota Atheist group that Daddy is a member of. Owen had a great time, though it was quite hot and there was quite a bit more hiking then I was lead to believe. I was very proud of Owen for becoming more and more confident in himself. When we found a little stream, at first he was very timid about walking around, but after a little encouragement he started jumping across the rocks and walking around in the water. He is becoming much more comfortable interacting with nature. Owen still appreciates the fossils and he looks at them in his magnifying glass. Here is an article that appeared in Minnesota Atheist newsletter about the event which mentions Owen and his C-3PO impersonation. Also, below that are some of the photos I took of the event.

Minnesota Atheists Fossil Hunting at Lilydale Park