bigbrother

M-A-X loves his N-E-W sister.

He also L-O-V-E-S spelling things out right now.

It’s kinda making me crazy.  And the fact that it makes me crazy makes me even crazier.  Let me try to explain . . .

I should be rejoicing at this turn of events.  I am, after all, his primary teacher and this interest in orthography should make me proud as punch.  And it D-O-E-S – really, it does.  However, my brain – in it’s sleep deprived state – is not firing on all cylinders.  This is frustrating when the speed of a six-year-old’s S-P-E-L-L-I-N-G is faster than my synapses can comprehend.  In addition, I’m not exactly oozing patience, so I get a little on edge while waiting for all the pieces to come together to get an idea across. 

Can you see how all that could lead to the crazies?

Tonight, after they had been put to bed, I was changing Ellie on our bed that had no sheets on it.  To make the bed was on the top of my 50+ item To-Do list.  Ellie was screaming because she thinks the greatest threat to her survival is a wet wipe and Tess was howling in their bedroom.  I was feeling rather frayed.  Max sauntered into our room and took a sip from his water bottle.

“M-O-M?”

I glanced at him.  He took another long drink from his water.

“Um, M-O-M? T-E-S-S N-E-E-D-S  —”

“Max!  Could you just tell me what you need to say?”

He was stricken and I was convicted.

“It’s just that my brain is very tired and it’s hard for me to put all the letters together.  Can you make it easier for me?”

He took yet another drink.  (I foresee changing the sheets in the morning . . . )

“Okay.  Tess needs you.”

Right.

And now he thinks his mother is S-T-U-P-I-D.

A-W-E-S-O-M-E.