JAYDEN'S PATIENCE

Jayden's Patience

It was a lovely day -- bright and sunny, warm with a slight breeze.  We had picked up Jayden, who came with breakfast in his belly and a handheld water spritzing fan around his neck.  He was to help us pick up sticks, trash, and rocks around the yard so we could mow, especially in the wild patch.

Gotta tell ya, though, Jayden scared us.  I was helping Spencer pull trash off his pitch fork when Jayden dropped the wagon tongue in the grass and went towards John.  I thought he was okay, safe from the highway, my mind was at ease.  When I turned to get him back on task, you'll never, ever, ever guess what I saw him doing.  

Remember the plastic green water fan hung on his neck?  Well, he was bent low, trying to use the blades as a weed chopper....on "leaves of three", poison ivy!!!!!!!  NOoooooo!

Oh, boy!  

BOYS!  The fan got confiscated, and all got washed down, thoroughly!  I hadn't seen any evidence of a rash by the time he left, thank goodness.

***

The other day, the whole family was here.  Every one vying for a place in the conversation to tell their story, their experience, or to empathize.  Jayden backed up to me to be picked up onto my lap.  It's his way of saying "I want to talk to you.  I'll wait my turn."

When I bent my head to him, he complained, "I want to watch t.v.  I don't like all this talking."

His speech tutor has been teaching him to use words to describe his feelings so I wasn't too, too surprised when he said, "I'm upset."  I smiled at his maturing, this boy on my lap was 4 y.o.!  He explained, "I'm having patience."

***

I was stunned, mostly boys don't pay attention to such things; Jayden did.

The outfit I was wearing to the restaurant was a yellow print high-low blouse worn over a pair of white shorts.  A few times this Spring and Summer I've worn it over a white skirt to church.

"That's your church dress", Jayden frowned, then added, "You wear that to church, why you wear it now?"

***

I complimented him, "You're smart." 
He agreed, "Like my dad's smart.  Yah.  My dad is smart."

Period.

And at the end of this lovely day, that's a PERIOD.