My five-year-old
On D’s birthday last month, he woke up, remembered that it was his birthday and immediately asked us "Do I look older? I’m five now!" We smiled and tried to explain to him that it doesn’t work that way, that he gets a little older and a little bigger every day, not just on his birthday.
Except that maybe it does work that way. Since his birthday, D has a) gotten dressed entirely by himself (including finding clothes in his dresser) for the first time and b) willingly laid back in the bathtub and gotten his hair wet for the first time. (Yes, I know some of your kids did these things at age three. D somehow missed the "I do it myself" stage, and we made a deliberate choice not to press him on these things when there was a baby in the house getting lots of attention.)
Maybe it’s coincidence, but I wouldn’t be at all surprised if he’s simply decided that he’s a big five-year-old now, and can do these things. That seems to be the way he operates; he was a late walker too, but walked with total confidence within weeks of starting.
Last summer, when D was zooming around the park quite confidently on his bike, we asked him if he wanted us to take off the training wheels so he could see if he could ride it without them. Without hesitation, he answered "no, I’ll do that when I’m five." I just bet he will.
February 23rd, 2006 at 10:21 pm
That’s great! Sounds like he is very comfortable moving at his own speed.
February 23rd, 2006 at 11:07 pm
This is so comforting to me. My son also missed the “I do it myself” phase. But he’s already informed us that he plans to undergo a “metamorphosis” when he turns five. Maybe it will include willingly getting his hair wet in the bath?
February 24th, 2006 at 12:11 am
The power of the mind at work! That’s really charming.
Actually this is sort of a morbid comparison, but what with spikes in mortality coming right after important holidays, there’s evidence that people can ‘hold off’ death until they make it through to an important event.
D thinks he can do these things, therefore he can! A lesson in positive thinking for everyone.
February 24th, 2006 at 7:09 am
Hooray for D (and his parents!). We, too, saw big jumps with age changes. Wierd, isn’t it? I think it’s cool that D’s zooming on his bike. We are hoping ours will at least look at a bicycle now that he’s five. He’s been putting us off every year with “I’ll do it when I’m 4.” Then 5. I’ll bet anything this summer he tell us 6.
February 24th, 2006 at 10:14 am
I’ll point out my daughter’s equivalent of this. After she turned 5, she posed in front of the mirror in a new outfit, and said “I feel six in this.” And, she does; she even looks 7 (which I said to her). Then, she went to her grandfather and asked if she looked seven. He laughed (gently) and said: “you look 14.” Then, she said “For real?” That’s our girl, 5, going on 14.
bj
February 24th, 2006 at 11:15 am
My then eight-year old kept insisting that I make his breakfast for him on school days. I reluctantly went along, even though I felt he was ready to make his own breakfast, but we agreed that he had to start doing it for himself on his ninth birthday. Sure enough, he has honored his agreement and now makes his own breakfast every day.
February 24th, 2006 at 11:42 am
Isn’t that funny! It’s great that D is tackling new things, on whatever terms make him comfortable. My DD is only 2, so we haven’t had enough birthdays to see how they will affect her.
February 24th, 2006 at 3:41 pm
My son, age 4, very rarely dresses himself. Here’s hoping he follows D’s lead : )