Learned or Taught

I have just a few remaining days here in Texas.  Today I purchased a few things for our flight home.  I perfected a system for flying with a toddler.  It's involved but it works.  I have been reading a collection of travel writing in my free time.  Travel writing might be my favorite genre of writing and I believe when you travel no matter how germane the destination you will always create a story.

I always feel like living with a toddler is a akin to a science project but lately this has seemed much more pronounced.  He is learning so much.  This week week JAC desperately wanted to run with me instead or riding in his stroller.  I let him out and he joyfully sprinted over half of a mile.  Mid-sprint he took a hard fall on the cement blooding his knees.  He was stunned and whimpered.  I bent down and told him, "We're almost there.  We can do this because we're Team Connelly."  He shouted, "Team Connelly!"  He ran the rest of the way holding my hand and using the other hand to hike up his shorts because they were bloody.  I was so proud.  It made me think, JAC loves to run because I love to run.  Sometimes the best taught lesson is just a little enthusiasm.

Later we went to the park.  I told JAC to put on his shoes and he put them on the wrong feet.  I didn't change them because I didn't want JAC to doubt his own independence.  After a few minutes of playing at the hot park he showed me his feet.  They were covered in horrible blisters.  I learned shoes must go on the right feet.

His feet hurt and he wanted to go home but when he saw the ducks at the pond he found a second wind.  He ran towards them trying to pet them.  As he ran he shouted, "Feet hurt, ouch, duck, quack, quack."  We never were close enough to touch a duck.  They headed for the deep water.  JAC was horribly disappointed but recovered when he saw a huge mound of dirt.  He energetically grabbed huge handfuls of the dirt before I could stop him.  The dirt was a giant ant mound and JAC cried and cried as I furiously tried to dust the ants off of him.  JAC learned that ducks do not like to be chased and some dirt is not for digging.  I learned to expect the unexpected.

It was a rough day but we rallied and the following day went to the zoo with my sister.  We fed crackers to the giraffes.  The have dark, tongues almost a foot long.  It was a blast to feed them and fun to learn how slimy a wet giraffe tongue could feel.

Today JAC was hanging out in the back yard with the cat.  The cat was dosing and he gently pet her.  Soon he covered her up in his blankets.  Little boys who nap like to have blankets and he thought a napping cat would too.