September 16, 2002 - Monday
When we got home after picking up Jeremy he was asleep in the car. His baby-sitter had said that he hadn't yet had an afternoon nap, his normal schedule apparently thrown out of balance by the week at home, so I figured I'd let him sleep for a half an hour or so. His mother and I have tried not to let Jeremy sleep too close to bedtime, but he wouldn't hvae made it all the way without a little rest. I also thought it would be a good chance to play with Harry a little. One on one time doesn't happen during the day very much anymore. I left Jeremy in the car seat sleeping and we played Frisbee at Harry's request nearby. Things started out well, too. Harry doesn't have the Frisbee throw yet, but does very much like to throw Frisbees in a traditional overhand motion, causing them to roll along the ground. The only shortcoming is that if he's on the driveway he really hammers the discs into the pavement. I discouraged that immediately and moved him over to the lawn area, where we played happily for 10-15 minutes.

But, Harry somehow got refocused on the driveway, despite my recommendations that he should not. Perhaps it was because of them, I don't know. I know that two year-olds are known to do devious deeds to attract a parent's attention, but it seems odd to do that when the attention is already there. Maybe there's something in a two year-old's search for independence that loves getting a rise out of a parent. Whatever it was with Harry, he seemed committed to testing the extent to which the Frisbees could be used on or near the driveway and stood just off the driveway and rolled the Frisbees on, then stood on the edge of the driveway throwing the discs onto the grass nearby. That was all OK. A few accidental or perhaps not accidental throws at the pavement weren't a big deal, but Harry didn't let up. He started throwing the Frisbees in the bushes, then telling me to get them repeatedly despite my encouragement not to. Clearly the mood had changed and what had seemed like such a happy time had descended into yet another minor confrontation with Harry. I ended up taking the Frisbees away from him and Harry started his now common refrain of "I will be good" and "I won't throw the Frisbees in the bushes." But, Jeremy had just woke up and so it was time to go inside. The dissappointment of losing that potentially lasting moment with Harry quickly gave way to the reality of two discontented boys, one hungry until his mother got home and one not hungry through a dinner that lasted almost until bedtime.


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