I didn’t think much could top “sack of potatoes” in David’s eyes, but lately I’ve been running ahead of him and inviting him to “catch Daddy,” trailing one hand so he can catch it, or, which he likes even better, giving him a big hug and picking him up when he catches me. It’s one of the things he’s quite verbal about – when we go to the playground or arrive on the grassy field I park on outside the place I rent when I’m there, as soon as I go to get him out of his car seat he tells he he wants to “catch Daddy on the grass.” And so we do. Or across the road if it’s too muddy, as it was earlier in the week.
He also likes to get up on the wood-cutting stump on the gravel area and jump down, or clamber over and jump from the picnic table. And he locks the car by pressing the button. I couldn’t get pictures of him actually jumping, since he still likes me to at least hold one hand or catch him with both hands.
Since the playground and the place I stay are both close to the road, I have been emphasizing to him that the road is “very dangerous” (although it might carry less weight than otherwise because the “tickle zone” in the game we play is also “very dangerous”, and he heartily throws himself into it!) I’ve taught him to stop and look left, look right, “no cars” – I started him on knowing his left and right hands and feet a little while ago, and he’s generally got it. And I talk to him about turning left or right when we’re driving.
