Toddler Love

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I’ve been watching one of Jonah’s little friends from church for the past two weeks while her grandmother, who usually watches her, is out of town. I was happy to help out and make a little extra vacation money and I knew Jonah would enjoy having someone to play with. The first day Addyson was here Jonah could hardly control himself. He was sooooooo excited!! They had so much fun playing together the first day. Jonah went to sleep talking about Addyson and wondering where she was. The first word out of his mouth the next morning was “Addyson?” We explored outside, blew bubbles, threw the ball, made a cardboard playhouse, played in the kiddie pool and napped like there was no tomorrow. I even got brave enough to take them both to the Riverpark and play (could’ve used a double stroller for this one). We’ve definitely had lots of fun.

One day I told Jonah to tell Addyson “night, night” before naptime and he went in for a hug….or so I thought…and he kissed her! Which reminded me of a story my dad tells about a little boy kissing me and my funny response. (Apparently, I slapped the little boy and said “Nobody kisses me, but my mommy and daddy!” HaHa!) Now I’m the mommy of the little affectionate boy! Nothing like a little toddler love….

By Wednesday, the novelty started to wear off and the toddler fights started. Jonah came to the realization that she was around to stay and was feeling a bit territorial……especially about his Lightning McQueen car or anything else Addyson had in her hand. They have both been little stinkers at times and seemed to thrive on stealing toys from each other….it’s been a constant battle for me. Normally Jonah is pretty easy-going when other kids are at our house to play, but I guess the extended stay of Addyson has thrown him into unknown territory of jealousy and sharing. He hasn’t dealt very well with it. I’ve seen things from Jonah the past 2 weeks that are very uncharacteristic of him….hitting, kicking, screaming “NO! Mine!”, and snatching toys from people. No amount of time-out, mean mommy voice or spankings have seemed to phase it. It’s been hard to watch these things come out of Jonah, but it has given me an even deeper understanding of God’s love and grace. (I can’t imagine the pain he feels when he watches me sin, be disciplined, repent, and then do the same sin all over again!)

Even with all of the toddler screams and hitting, Jonah still loves Addyson. She’s the first thing he talks about when he wakes up and the last thing he talks about before bedtime. During bedtime prayers, Ray will ask Jonah who he wants to pray for. He always responds with “Saddyson” (the way he says her name) and then he might say “Gake” (Jake-one of his best friends from church & small group). Needless to say, he might go through withdrawals when the week is over and Addyson doesn’t make her daily trip to our house. Luckily we’ll be on vacation with friends immediately after…maybe this will help him cope without her.