Incredible Imagination Meets Developing Motor Skills

In case I haven't said it often enough over the past week or so, let me tell you now: my kid is really, really amazing.  Sure, I know most parents say that about their children.  But you know what?  We're actually all correct!

Children are the most amazing little people, always changing and developing and gaining new skills.  It's one of the most fascinating things in the world, especially with young children who are changing with every blink of the eye.

Last night, while I was preparing our supper, Kaleb called out to me to "Come look, Mommy!"  I walked into the living room, and Kaleb was standing there, beaming from ear to ear, holding the Lego creation shown in the picture to the left.  Only half paying attention—I know, it's terrible, but we're all guilty of this from time to time—I said "Oh, neat," and turned to go back to the kitchen to continue working on our supper.

Kaleb, however, was completely dissatisfied with my response (and, honestly, he was totally justified to feel that way).  He said, "Wait, Mommy!  Take my picture!  Take a picture of my Legos!"

Now, I should say here that I fully believe that there must be some little bit of human DNA—yet unidentified, of course—that passes down the outgoing nature of a parent to their child.  My brother and I got it from our parents, along with the "performance" gene, and Kaleb has apparently gotten it from me.  He wants to be noticed when he has done something worthy of note, and he will not give up until he has the recognition he feels he has earned.

Realizing that I had unfairly dismissed his creating, I grabbed my camera and told him to hold it up high and give me a big smile.  He did, and we took his picture....five times until he was finally happy with the resulting image he saw on the preview screen of my digital camera.

Little did I know that I was still not really understanding what an amazing little creation I was seeing.  Wanting to share Kaleb's proud moment with him, I asked him some questions about what he had done.  "What's that little guy doing sitting there, Kaleb?  Is he eating?  Watching a movie?  Looking out the window?"

Kaleb looked at me quizzically, in a way that only Kaleb can, and the look in his face told me that I was really missing something.  And then came the response, which Kaleb clearly thought would have already been obvious to anyone with a brain.

"No, Mommy!  He's selling tickets to people!  See!"

And I did see!

I saw that Kaleb, at a few days shy of 3¼ years old, had built something that actually looked like what it was supposed to represent!  Not only had he created a recognizable representation, he had also built a Lego version of something that he has never experienced first-hand.  In fact, I can't remember having ever taken Kaleb anyplace where he would have seen tickets being sold at a window or from a ticket booth.

That kid of mine....he's pretty amazing.  And, luckily, he won't let me forget it!