We'll Never Learn

I have two updates since my most recent post concerning Jonah and the way that he interprets adult speech.

One- He was talking to my mom and she stopped to enter the bathroom. He started to follow her in and she asked him to wait OUTSIDE. He broke out into tears and said "But Daddy said I can't go outside."

Two- Today Jonah was trying to get down from his seat without eating any of his lunch (which is typical). So, I don't know what I was thinking but said, "Are you going to eat lunch or run around like a crazy man?" He very seriously answered, "Run around like a crazy man", like I was really giving him options and that was what he was choosing!

Literal Translation

As adults we understand the need to interrupt some things that are said, read, or seen on tv to mean something other than what was actually said. We also understand (for the most part) sarcasm and metaphors and the like. One of my favorite examples is from when I taught pre-school and we were making guacamole. I told my 4 year old student to "pop that baby out of there" referring to the pit of the avocado. I'm not sure what literary term "baby" is actually being used as in that sentence, but I do know that the little girl was very confused and looked under the table for a baby.

Now Jonah too takes things literally. At our going away party he was screaming very loudly in play and I, without thinking, said "if you are going to scream, go in the other room." Jonah took this too well (I should have know something was up) because he walked a whole 10 steps to the kitchen (which opened right up to the family room where we were all sitting) and continued to scream in fun. I asked for that.

Recently Jonah was entertaining us at the dining room table and began to "zerbert" and spit all over his food and ours. My dad calmly said, "Jonah, we don't spit at the dinner table." Jonah anxiously asked in return, "where do we spit?"

Cousins

Currently Jonah's only cousins are my brother and sister-in-law's two dogs. Just like siblings, they appear very different in personalities. Vesta is big and sweet. Harley is a small hyper Boston Terrier. Jonah isn't around dogs too often and is always a little fearful at first. But he looked forward to Harley and Vesta's (and his aunt and uncle's) visit. He kept his distance at first but soon was begging to hold a leash (usually Vesta's) and take them on a walk.

He was sad to see them go and coped by pretending to be one of them. He chose to be Harley, even though she frightened him the most, I think he picked her because he can relate most to her. My brother was constantly watching the door, cleaning up after her, and telling her to calm down and be quiet. That's exactly what I do with Jonah, so having a Boston Terrier must be lot like raising a three year old!

So our "doggie day" this week consisted of a leash (a rope tied to his belt loop), several walks where we barked and pretended to eat grass (but it was pretend grass since we took our walks in the basement), catching pretend bones, and be whistled for. Woof Woof!