It's been one of those weeks when I repeatedly have found myself staring at Riley, at a loss for words, while inside my head I'm thinking: "Are you 6...or 16?"
It began with the drama of a Brother Spat. (I don't recall the actual issue at stake, but I'm sure it was something extremely critical, like who got to go up the stairs first, or whose imaginary baseball team scored more fake runs, or some such nonsense.) This one quickly escalated into "GET OUT OF MY ROOM!" (Derek), which caused Riley to tearfully declare, "Derek hates me, I'm never playing with him again, this is the worst day ever!" (punctuated by sniffling and stomping, just to make sure we fully got the point.)
That should have been a big Red Flag for the prevailing emotional climate of the week; but on Tuesday, I pushed my luck anyway. I chose to invoke a little-used Mom Clause, which we'll call Picture Day Prerogative. Now, 364-days of the year, I cover my eyes and let the boys wear whatever they want. But--call me crazy--for their school photos, I actually insisted on...MATCHING (you may feel free to gasp in shock and horror). Well, Riley had an absolute Fashion Meltdown right in front of my eyes. He had exactly 2 shirts that were acceptable, and the way he carried on, you would have thought either one was made of sandpaper, stitched together with roofing nails. There was sobbing. There was lying on the ground in his underwear, declaring that he couldn't go to school. There was vociferous protest: "that one has a collar, it's soooo uncomfortable! (yes, he finally did go to school...and he was NOT naked! I swear I felt like calling the Press and telling them that Mr. Westman was ready for his closeup...)
Finally, thank goodness, the storm clouds lifted, and we got some vintage Riley by Wednesday. After school, he marched in and announced importantly, "I know the thing in the middle of a worm that helps it lay eggs...the clitellum!" Um...yay! And I will sooo take your word for it! Then as I was tucking him into bed, he said (randomly!), "You know, Mom, the Marinara Trench is as low as Mt. Everest is high!" Dude, that's awesome...but do you mean the Mariana Trench? Much giggling--and a few pasta jokes--ensued.
We're all keeping our fingers crossed for a lot more laughing, and less Family Theater to round out the week. After earthworms and oceanic topography, I can't wait to hear what 1st grade has in store for us tomorrow! Stay tuned...(there may be a quiz : )
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