Vortex of Weirdness

My home is like a vortex... and you can be sucked in without a moment's notice.  But rather than a vortex of air or water, ours is vortex of weirdness.

It is often said that "kids say the strangest things" but I think that could be expanded to, "kids do the strangest things" or even more accurately, "kids ARE the strangest things".  My boys are constantly creating their own trouble fun by beating themselves with a spatula, or competing to see who can lick the sofa the fastest.

Have you ever looked around a room and thought, "I am the only sane person here."?

I have.

Cael's newest "game" is to mount his plastic zebra (intended for a much smaller child) and spin as fast as possible for great lengths of time.  He bounces and giggles his free-spirited giggle, and then throws himself off, often crashing into the couch or wood floor.  Sometimes he hurts himself, sometimes not, but he always goes back for more.  During his first of such rides, he spun until he'd reached the cusp of nausea, then tried to walk away but landed on the floor with a THUD.

"Mommy, I fell."

"That you did."

(He laid there so silently I was afraid he'd hurt himself.)

"Are you okay?"

"Yes, Mommy, but I'm still falling."



Now I know that children explore their world in unusual ways, but other than a lesson in why to avoid parking lot carnival rides, what could he possibly learn from this?  Why is Graham headed into work with only one boot?  And why didn't I think that was strange?

Because I'm being sucked in, too.

Graham finds ways to entertain himself that make me question his competency as well.  In addition to grabbing random items that he considers to be "work-related" and saying "Bye-Bye!", he has a Rain-Man like obsession with his stacking buckets. Stack them up, nest them together... stack them upside down, then right side up.  Knock them down, stack them again.  Point to the buckets.  Knock them over and nest them inside one another.  Put them on the shelf.  Take them down again and stack them up.  Lay them on the floor in a line and point to each one.  Put them back together and on the shelf.  Strange, but good for hand-eye coordination.  But why, oh why, does he not realize that the balls on the retaining wall just won't stay?



This oddness is so pervasive that it oozes into every aspect of our day.  Even at mealtime, we aren't safe.



I've heard that children who are "nerdy" in school grow up to be the smartest and most successful.  But what about the goofy kids... the ones that wear mismatched clothes and eat their hair?  Do they grow up and live in their parents' basements?  Or do they grow up and work for Google?

Whatever comes of them, one thing is certain.  Their lives won't be dull.  And I can't wait to watch it all happen because, as you know, I've been sucked into our vortex, too.

Have a great weekend, everyone.  "Stinky mark chocolate" and dog food are calling my name...