Friday, September 26, 2008

Stimulus

My son is a lot like me. He looks like me. He's social like me. Heck, he's even loud like me. But I'm realizing, as time goes by, that he's a great deal like his father.

Troy needs alone time. He needs quiet time. He needs "Get away from me everyone else so I can hear myself think" time. At night, when the world gets quiet, Troy tucks me in and stays up for an hour or so just soaking in the silence. I, myself, do not need this kind of time.

But oh how Garrett does. He's been having a blast playing with his cousins over the last two days but today he asked me if he could lay down in his Pack n Play. He needed some Garrett time. For twenty minutes that kid laid in his portable crib sucking on his pacifier and contemplating the finer points of solitude. I don't know if it's a first born trait--I missed the memo on that one if it is. Perhaps the lack of a sibling contributes to his feeling overwhelmed in constant company. In any case, he was overstimulated and he thought it best to remove himself from the situation.

Like father, like son.

4 comments:

  1. I really like that alone time, too. Sometimes I stay up after Troy goes to bed for an hour or two just to read.

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  2. Good for Garrett, asking for what he needs. I could probably take a lesson.

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  3. You will be a wise parent if you can remember that Garrett needs those times alone. It could prevent behavioral problems during times of go-go-go. J

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  4. I'm with your boys on this one. Even late at night, when they're both asleep, it's not silent enough for me anymore, because my brain is always full of what I should be doing. I miss having down time for my brain.

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