My Turbo

My blog is named after my eldest son, Turbo, now two and a half.

He is spirited.

See the link on the right to see what I'm talking about. He is just MORE of everything. He lives life going 100km per hour, non-stop, all day. It is exhausting sometimes, but I understand what he needs (most of the time) and can try to meet those needs. Expecting him to sit still is unrealistic, even for a few minutes.

He is very strong. He can throw a ball straight and far, and has been able to jump and climb since he was quite little.

He  has funny quirks like not liking the feel of sand. Just try and get him into a sandpit. He can't stand having food on his face or hands, and has to have things 'just so'. He puts things in perfect lines, like the fridge magnets or his toy cars.

When he interacts with other kids, he ROARS, bellows, kicks his legs in excitement, punches the air, jumps on top of them if he has the chance.

As you can imagine, this is sometimes met with a not so positive look. I do my best to tell him to be gentle, to tell him the other kids may not like that and to step in when things get too much. But there's also the wisdom of letting Turbo be Turbo.

At a mall's play area on Saturday morning, a father, observing Turbo, asked me if there was another boy in the stroller (Smiley was sleeping in there with the cover on). I said yes, and then with a smile said "Help!" He smiled and said how full on Turbo was. And when I left, wished me luck in parenting my two boys!!

It made me smile. If I had been having a bad day, it could have made me cry.

I never want to get to the point where I feel I need to excuse Turbo for being who he is. I've felt that way often enough. "He's just excited; he's not being mean; Turbo, stop that; gentle, please"...I could go on.

Because, you see, Turbo is also lovely. He listens well, is intelligent, warm-hearted,

shares his lunch with other kids, and always has a smile to give. He is very sociable and often runs off to join in a game with kids he doesn't even know.

At Mainly Music, which he attends with his daycare, he has two or three best friends, all four years old, who adore him right back. And not by chance. He persisted to hug and wrestle them every week until he was accepted into their gang.

His zeal for life is contagious and the other little girl at daycare (it's a home care with him and one other girl), once shy and withdrawn, has completely come out of her shell and talks constantly about Turbo. They are very close and dote on each other.

He brings Mr Samoa and I great joy, along with great challenges too, of course.

My spirited baby.

My Turbo.

 I love you Turbo. You're the best.