Mama, I think ..

A very common response from Marcus in the recent months. He likes to offer opinions and when asked, he usually will offer his 2 cents' worth, provided he is not too occupied playing. He will tell me what he thinks about the garbage truck that is stopped by the road, or the man who is standing at the corner and why the little girl is being carried by her mum instead of walking etc etc.. He is very observant and is constantly telling me about his environment especially when we are out and about.

At the BBQ last Boxing Day, I asked Marcus why was Kana crying as he watched his little girlfriend sob a few times while the adults were busy comforting her. He looked puzzled and confused at my questioning, then shrugged his little shoulders and suggested 'Maybe some trouble!' and promptly threw up his hands in the air and sighed concurrently. It made the adults who heard him roared with laughter. Ever since, this has been his standard explanation to anyone who likes to know why someone is distressed. We can't fault him for his sharp observation and innocent interpretation. He is after all only a 3 yr old and anyone crying must have some kind of trouble.

Earlier when he complained that he was hungry and demanded Cheerios for snacks, we had to tell him that we forgot to buy Cheerios today, so there is none in the house. He was starting one of his chanting tantrums, during which he would increasingly raise the volume of his voice as he chants "I want Cheerios. I want Cheerios". Sometimes he can go on chanting for 20 min non stop.. As a bid to save the situation, I cheerfully suggested "How about we pretend that we are eating Cheerios? I can give you a bowl and you can have a different snack that is as delicious as Cheerios?" He promptly stopped chanting, looked at me quizzically and said "Mama, how about we buy the Cheerios so I can eat it now?". I told him the shops are closed now, so we can only buy tomorrow. And he would have to pretend that he is eating Cheerios if he wants them now. This time, he shook his head, stood up and walked away shaking his head as he assured me "Mama, pretending will not help!" and let out a sigh! I burst out laughing and he was visibly amused that he had made me laugh and somehow forgot about his needs for Cheerios.