Sign of the Times

Milo has moved up to his formal pre-K class and is loving it! Well... He loves it when he is in class but he has had some growing pains at night. I am confident that it is just his brain adjusting to the new class and his new friends. He really does seem like he is getting so big lately (except for when he is throwing a temper tantrum.) I love watching how his mind works. This kid is truly too smart for his own good sometimes. He definitely keeps us on our toes! Here are just a few examples:

• A few weeks ago his school was closed for in-service so he and I had a fun day together. I decided we should go on an adventure so we went to a local water park. We had a great time for the first 30 minutes until he saw the 'No Diving' sign with that nice little graphic of someone cracking their head on the bottom of the pool. They have these signs about every 4 feet at this place. He started out saying "Mommy, it says 'No Diving' or you will bonk your head." This quickly transitioned to "NO MOMMY!!!!!!!! NO DIVING! DON'T GO IN THE WATER OR YOU WILL BONK YOUR HEAD! AHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Every time he saw one of these signs his freak-out would escalate. He worked himself up into such a frenzy that after about 15 minutes I just gave up and we left.


• A few weeks later he actually chose not to go to a birthday party at this same place because of the signs. He was excited about going and then we thought we should talk to him about it beforehand. After we explained it was the same place we told him we did not want him to get upset at the party. His comment was, "Well I AM going to get upset." And then he didn't bring the party up again.


• The 'No Diving' sign was just the beginning of the sign drama. He also gets really nervous anytime he sees a fire extinguisher or a fire alarm strobe light in a building. Pretty much anything that says "FIRE" on it is cause for him to worry and want to get out of that area immediately. I have come to realize that though he can read the signs he doesn't understand that they are warning signs. He thinks when it says FIRE, it is not protecting you or warning you but telling you that FIRE is right there so you should run.


• And one more... I had to turn off the car at the gas station the other day so the DVD he was watching turned off. He got frustrated until he saw the sign by the pump that said "Turn off your Ignition" and then he not only calmed down but reprimanded me a few minutes later when I turned the car back on. He has selective hearing when it comes to us but he is very obedient to those signs!


• And finally, just because it is cute - His class has been learning about different professions at school and Milo has decided he wants to be a farmer. He brings it up periodically and mentions on occassion what he is going to learn to grow. We even walked by the Build-A-Bear store this weekend and he said, "Mommy, I want to build a Farmer Bear!" Sweet boy!