4 Year old Shorts

Teddy turned 3 years and 6 months a couple of days ago. He has always rotated out of his clothes early and since wearing sizes that last more than a couple months, he has always rotated out around Christmas. At Thanksgiving I went through Ted’s shorts and switched the 3s for 4s. Even though I left on the shelf the 3s that still fit, he refuses to wear them. He wants the “4 year old” stuff. He tells everyone that he is 4. Sometimes he tells them that he is 8, but they figure that one out very quickly.

We are very lucky with clothes. The last couple of cousins are all boys and they are spread out one a year. We get great hand-me-downs. Some of the clothes are not at all my style, but the mixture allows Ted to figure out his own style, mixing and matching the clothes.

He is getting pretty good at picking out his clothes and putting them on himself. Though he must be properly motivated for this. When he is up for a race, he will do it all by himself in a blur of arms and legs, with the periodic “naked” dance thrown in. When I do not take the proper time and effort to figure out his motivation for the moment, he will stall and dawdle, until I scream that I will pin him down and force clothes over his head.

Right now I can hear him crying. He woke up from a nap in a very bad mood. Pretty normal. Tandtrumming and crying about privacy and other things that really don’t make sense. If only I could figure out his motivation and emotions more easily. The effort is just too much sometimes. Not exactly big boy behavior, but maybe 4 year old behavior.

Lion, Shmion. I laugh in the face of danger. Ha ha ha ha ha.