Headstrong Three Year Old ...

I post these mostly so that they will "keep",
since my attempts to write down things the boys say never materializes on paper ...
but on a blog they can be typed, and someday put into a blog book, possibly.
To remember.
To look back and smile at.

A few days ago,
I was attempting to get the boys ready to leave the house.
Jonah, for whatever reason, had decided that cooperating with MY plan
was not a part of HIS plan, and was resisting.
Suddenly, (most likely in the middle of one of my reminders to get shoes/coats/hats/etc)
he disappeared from the living room.
Only to reappear with plastic construction goggles on.
(Note - my belief is that the glasses gave him some kind of "bravado"
to come up and say the following):
He struts up to stand directly in front of me.
"Mommy," his little finger flies up to point straight up to the ceiling,
"BESIDES JESUS, I know everything. And ...."
At which point he goes on to explain he needs to be making the plans for our day.
I was actually quite dumbfounded at his statement,
and then had to stifle my desire to laugh in order to discipline him.
1. My mom commented later when I told her this story that most likely I didn't know whether to laugh or to cry at his audacity.
2. My mother in law laughed and then said "he's going to be quite the challenge, isn't he?"
3. Thankfully, although Jonah was bucking his parental authority, he did realize somewhere in his thought process that there is ONE authority that does deserve respect and honor.
I can still see that little picture of him ... so sure of himself with his goggles on. Oh my.

And yes, he continued the trend a day later ...
He was attempting to convince me that he needed some kind of sweet treat.
For no reason.
And with Jonah's rather dubious eating habits, this was not flying with me.
I continued to tell him "No".
He continued to ask.
Probably about the sixth time,
He suddenly grins, runs up and throws his arms around me and exuberantly yells
"Mommy, I'm not going to give up with you!"
And, of course, makes one last request.
Sigh. Maybe he didn't feel like giving up ...
Maybe I need to pray more that this determination, this boldness to push limits
will be something within him that the Lord can turn for good!
The meaning of his middle name carries "Warrior" within it.
A Warrior for the Kingdom - may it be!