The Fluctuating Paradigm of "Baby"

Daniel is super-autonomous, and often pitches a fit if you attempt to do anything that he *should* be doing himself, such as putting on his shoes, his jacket, etc.... But Ian is rather the opposite. It's almost like now that he has two younger siblings, he welcomes, even requests, any infantilizing gesture that might re-establish his place among the nurtured.

Last night, when we came back from a day trip, he asked me to carry him into the house, even though he hadn't been sleeping, and really didn't need it. I tend to indulge him in that, especially because I think the need will go away when he knows that he'll always be our baby. And because he truly is our baby, just like the other two, I'm always happy to carry him, even though he's technically six. Of course, he never requests this kind of hypercare when he's around his peers, or in a public place - it's really something that comes up in the driveway, alone, at night.

In any case, he summed up the pattern very well last night: "I like to be carried when I can be."

(November 28, 2009)