I don’t like boxing or labeling my kid unless the label is  cuuuute because I’ll take that one.
He doesn’t like it though… “I not pretty boy,  I big strong boy”.
The label I was not too keen on is “different ” because firstly “different from what ” and secondly “people don’t like different”…

Every mom hopes their kid is “normal”, that their kid doesn’t stand out too much, well not in a way that makes people roll their eyes and look away awkwardly.

Every mom is sure everything is normal until their kid licks a bedpost (oh is that just us?) or wants to run around half dressed (not us, our kid doesn’t even like shorts – “why are these pants small, why are my leggies open”).

Toddlers are not normal, I hung out with my friends kids this weekend and confirmed that fact: the one was feeding an imaginary tiger, the other was dressed (in her moms words not mine) like a hobo princess and the other two were fighting over a tiara.

Aidan was rolling on the trampoline singing rolly polly… toddlers are not little adults they are individuals still adjusting to the world, and their personalities, and everyone else’s personalities and you just have to embrace the differences.

My little man is different, a quirky different that watches art and craft  tutorials (especially play dough ones) instead of cartoons , who confidently calls himself super Aidan and can carry a conversation (okay argument ) with any adult willing to listen.
He will ask me if I need a hug because I look sad or tease me for looking angry.  He puts his teddies on time out and tried to pep talk an ostrich into taking flight…
I love his quirky nature and his unruly hair, I love that he will try and argue his way out of a game of hide and seek… “I not here,go look in  the cupboard”… remind people to wear their safety belts, “Aidan buckles, everyone buckles”  and tell me to “help him, help me ,tidy up his toys”…
My vegetarian, who asked me with giant sad eyes if it’s okay that he doesn’t want to eat the chickens and the fishies  and who goes between excited chatty kid and sombre loner at the drop of a hat, is different in the best possible way.
He has made me look at “different” through new glasses.  Not as something to be ashamed of but as something to be proud of.
I pray that he never loses these differences or his sense of humour and certainly not his witt and I hope he will grow to learn that we are all “different ” and that the best people march to the beat of their own drums.

 

*picture: .freedigitalphotos.ne