Ben is 3 and absolutely full of life (and tantrums, and whines, and procrastination... but we won't talk about any of that)!!!
I have never a met a little boy more curious. After any word he doesn't understand comes the question, "What does _____ mean?" and you better have an answer or look it up because he WILL repeat the question until he gets an answer. If you make any comment he doesn't understand, even if not directed towards him, he WILL ask, "Why?" He also asks why about any direction given to him such as "put your plate on the counter" or "put your socks on". Again, you better have an answer or make one up really quick unless you want to hear the word why 9,473 times. Also, if you are eating anything in his presence be prepared to either share it or explain why it is a grown up food because he WILL walk down 12 flights of stairs and across 9 rooms to ask you, "What's in that bowl?" or "What are you eating?" Sometimes all this question asking can be extremely annoying... but other times, it really helps me see the world through his eyes. I also realized, how else is he to learn about the world if he can't ask the grown ups around him about it. Out of his natural curiosity though come some of the most genuine, innocent, too cute questions such as, "Why do we have bendy bits?" (referring to things such as elbows, knees, and fingers) and "Why do you have two homes?" (referring to the fact that I call my house here and my house in America both home) and "Why is a tram like a rhinoceros on skateboards?" (referring to a safety ad on the trams). It's questions like these that keep people working with preschoolers constantly seeing the world in a different, more innocent light.
I have never met a little boy more bouncy. Ben bounces... literally. He doesn't hop or jump or walk or stand still, he bounces. Waiting at the counter for dinner - he bounces. Going into creche - he bounces. Standing up reading a book - he bounces. Throwing a ball - he bounces. Brushing his teeth - he bounces. Putting on a nappy after bath - he bounces. Bouncing Ben... it's just what he does. It's little personality quirks like these that start to come out around this age that make preschoolers so fun to interact with.
I have never met a little boy more energetic. Ben jumped rope and threw a ball for an hour and a half (while bouncing - see previous section) without stopping for even a second. We were inside and still by the end of all this he was drenched in sweat and wanted to keep going. It's this never ending energy that keeps adults working with preschoolers feeling so young.
I have never met a little boy more cognitively advanced. Ben has just turned 3 and is already reading some 4 and 5 letter words. He can also tell you which 2 numbers make up numbers up to 60. He can tell you what comes before or after any number up to 20. And he is practically doing puzzles marked for 6 year olds by himself. It's developmental differences like this that keep people working with preschoolers on their toes.
I have never met a little boy more capable of making my heart smile - when he reaches for my hand walking to and from school, when he finds absolute delight in the smallest of things, when he pokes out his bottom lip and asks for a kiss on a boo-boo, when he comes running back to my lap during music class after putting his instrument away, when he tells me I did a good job driving, when he tells me his home is my home, when he giggles and laughs as we play our own silly made-up games, when he does something all by himself for the first time and smiles from ear to ear, when he cuddles in my lap with his head on my shoulder during Michelle's group violin lesson. It's sweet, unforgettable moments like these that capture my heart and reassure my God-given passion for children.
Add to all of this Ben's blonde curly hair, his big blue eyes, and his long eye lashes and I think he could melt just about anyone's heart.
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