Progress

I'm really starting to be hopeful that we have finally left the terrible twos behind us. Jack seems to have turned the corner in so many ways. He has fewer tantrums, he is starting to play more interactively and cooperatively with his friends, and we seem to be having more good days than bad. (The percussion accompaniment you hear in the background is me KNOCKING WOOD as always.)

Yesterday was a wonderful example of what I mean. I have written about a number of awful experiences we've had at Playtown. I had vowed that we would never ever go back there again. But the rain had been getting to us, and we just needed to get out of the house. I asked Jack if he wanted to meet some friends there, and of course he said he did.

I looked him straight in the eye and told him, "Jack, if we go, you need to share and take turns with the other kids. And I cannot stay right on top of you in the entire time. I am going to sit on the bench with the other mommies while you go and play. Do you understand?"

"I do," he said.

So I took a deep breath, crossed my fingers, and hoped for the best.

Because of the rain, Playtown was understandably packed. I mean, packed. I have never seen so many kids there. I thought to myself, "Uh-oh. This could be very, very bad."

But then Jack surprised me. He went right to the train table and started playing with the trains. Kids kept milling back and forth. Every time a child got too close to him, I steeled myself for a tantrum. Every time someone grabbed a train that he was playing with, I held my breath. And Jack? Just kept right on playing. He let the other kids take the trains, and he just found a new one. If a child was in his way as he was rolling the trains around the track, he either waited for him to move or went around him or went the other way. A few times when kids got too rambunctious, he backed away or moved to the other side of the table. But there was nary a peep of protest out of him. A couple of times, he looked to where I was sitting to make sure I was still there, but he never called for me to come for him.

He stayed at the train table for a very long time. It's the longest he's ever played with the trains. I was beginning to wonder if he was ever going to move. But finally he did. And he was great with all the other toys and activities as well. Only once when another little girl was literally pushing him aside to get at a toy that he was playing with did he get agitated. And even then, all he said was, "I'm getting upset!"

Another time I could tell that he was getting anxious, but the only reason was because he asked for his Pooh bear. I told him that I didn't want him to take Pooh out to the play area, because he might leave it somewhere and it would be so sad if we lost him.

"Don't worry," he told me. "I won't lose him."

And then he held on tight for him the rest of our time there, only occasionally coming back to me to show me that he still had him.

"I'm proud of myself!" he said. "I didn't lose my bear!"

But I, of course, was proud of him for entirely different reasons.

We capped off the morning with Jack's first visit to Burger King, where he also had his first taste of chocolate milk. His friends were drinking them, and of course - monkey see, monkey do - he wanted to have one too. He took a sip and made a face.

"I do think it's a little bit yummy" was his considered opinion. His is a very discerning palate. He took a couple more sips and then didn't drink any more of it.

All in all, it was a great morning and hopefully a sign of things to come.