The Daddy Complex

There’s A Monster At The End Of This Post

Last night, my boys and I spent a good half hour running around the apartment, screaming and growling like a troop of chimps that escaped from the zoo. Even the dog got into the act. It was a blast. Oddly, that same behavior is why I was asked to leave my last job.

That tuckered them out so much that our wind-down time went off without any complaining and they feel asleep within minutes of putting them down. Speaking of that, I noticed another new behavior from my boys last night. They actually want to go into their cribs now. Strange, right? It’s not because they suddenly decided to stop protesting every move we make. No, once again, I can credit Sesame Street. Although, thankfully, not Elmo.

Last week, we decided to let the boys take a stuffed animal to bed with them. They’re long past the age where nighttime suffocation and/or SIDS is a threat. We offered up four Sesame Street plush figures and told them each to choose one. Boone chose Grover, Wyatt chose Honker. We leave those plushies in their cribs all day, marking them as strictly a bedtime thing. Also, it prepares our boys for the possibility that their childhood heroes may one day end up in jail.

Now, what I’m about to describe may have actually been happening for a few nights already, but it takes me some time to decipher what my boys are saying. Everything must be run through the “Toddler Language Reversal Filter.” For instance, we recently figured out “geeahf” means “giraffe” and “fees” means “fish.” We’re still not sure what “yoto” means, but I think Wyatt may be trying to impersonate Princess Leia when she was dressed up as Boushh the bounty hunter in Jabba’s palace.

Anyway, Boone finished his nighttime bottle and reached up for me. I thought he wanted to snuggle for a bit, but he kept reaching toward his crib and saying “go-ger.” You can deduce he was saying “Grover.” I reached in to get Grover for him and he started whining and leaning over. I placed him in his crib, he scooped Grover into his arms and smiled broadly. So, it appears I have been replaced by a lanky blue monster.

Recent comments

Blog comments powered by Disqus

Notes

  1. nibblesandbits said: Very cute! By the way, you and your wife made an appearance in my dream last night. You were featured in a documentary about artists, and apparently you were both inthe visual arts.
  2. thedaddycomplex posted this