T.Puzzle is a precarious seven years old. He often loses focus quickly if the activity he is doing doesn’t capture his imagination. If I ask him to feed the dogs, it’s likely that they will be fed in addition to having kibble spread over the entirety of the kitchen floor. When it’s time for him to use his mouthwash, he might ‘accidentally’ dump half a bottle all over the bathroom floor, never even considering for a moment to stop and clean up the minty aftermath. On the bright side, my house now has a freshness about it and remains cavity-free. He also tends to accumulate pounds of sand in his shoes from his outside recess time. He’s been told to dump his shoes out before entering the house, but sometimes, he prefers to empty his shoes in the closet. The list goes on and on.
He was having a particularly off day so it was no surprise that his performance at his flag football game was lackluster. He seemed to be doing a lot of interesting dance moves on the field and not a lot of flag-pulling. In his defense, his dance moves were pretty sweet. After the game, which was a heartbreaking defeat by one point, he bounded over to us because really, as long as you have moves like Jagger, what is there to be sad about? Mad Dog asked him what the coach said about the game and any details about upcoming practices.
“Well, I don’t really know what he said,” T.Puzzle replied.
“Weren’t you listening?” asked Mad Dog.
“I WAS listening and then all I could think about was my snack and then I forgot what he said,” was T.Puzzle’s honest answer.
That made me laugh so hard. After my laughter subsided his comment opened my eyes. How can I be upset with T.Puzzle when he’s being completely and totally himself?
Seven may be fraught with messy distractions, but seriously, it’s T.Puzzle’s best year yet.
