October 9, 2001 - Tuesday
Last Thursday morning, and then again on Friday, I made a potentially mealtime-changing decision: rather than using the tray of his booster seat, I moved him right up to the table like he was a big kid. It was really just a whim on my part and something that I thought had an outside chance of becoming a charming little father-son bonding activity. More likely, though, I figured it was likely to have lasting consequences.

Usually, Harry sits on my leg during breakfast until I need to get up to get orange juice. Then, I'll put him in his booster seat to finish whatever might be left in his bowl. Today, when I pushed him up to the table he responded immediately with an excited little dance from his seat. I must admit I was a little surprised he didn't demand the same treatment Friday morning from the start, but we sat together as usual through most of our cereal. When I put him in his booster and moved him up to the table again, he did the same little dance.

Fortunately, I happened to mention this unilateral decision of mine to Harry's mother over the weekend. I'm not sure she was as taken by the potential charm as I was, or perhaps she immediately grasped the inevitable upshot, but at least she was warned. So, tonight when I came down stairs for dinner after a slight delay for a phone call, there was Harry already in his chair and pushed forward up to the table. His plate of chicken, carrots, and broccoli was in front of him on the table and his mother was sitting there next to him with a somewhat thin smile. It was pretty clear what had happened. Harry had indeed not kept this new placement as just a special part of our father-son morning routine. No, Harry had stated his demands and his mother understood them clearly. She had no choice.

Only mildly related to Harry clearly expressing himself: this morning at breakfast Harry uttered a very clear "like it" in reference to his cereal more than once. As best as I know, that's never happened before. We've heard "don't like it" countless times, but like "yes," the "like it" affirmative is much harder to come by.


Comments, opinions?