Lately one of Bird's favorite books to read is the storybook version of Noah and the Ark. In this book, you read the words, look at the pictures, and press buttons to make sounds. On one particular page, you press the button to hear Noah say, "Thank you, God!" Jackson laughs and imitates it every time he hears it.
Today, after reading the Noah story several times with Bird, I was cleaning up the kitchen and Jackson was playing in the den. I heard him chasing Rascal, and I rounded the corner just in time to see him pull Rascal's tail. I firmly told him that if he continued to hurt the dog, I would spank him. (This is very common - Bird terrorizes Rascal on a regular basis.) I suggested that instead of hurting Rascal, he should love him. Bird nodded his head, grabbed Rascal around the neck and kissed him.
"Good job, Bird!" I praised him. "We want to love our friends, not hurt them. Thank you for following directions."
"Yep, yep. I wuv my buddy. I kiss him. I not spanking!" Bird replied.
"That's right. When you follow directions and love your friends, you don't get a spanking. Good job." I agreed and then walked back in the kitchen.
As Bird crawled back on the couch I heard him call out, "Thank you, God!"
It made me smile.
My friend Elizabeth taught her son about Noah when he was about 2.5. The pictures in his storybook showed an older man with white hair and a beard. One day in the grocery store he chased a man with a long white beard, yelling "Noah! Noah!" She was mortified. Still love the story. :)
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