Man in the Mirror…

Does every two and half year old get fixated on his reflection?

Luke loves watching his face in the mirror.  Actually, it doesn’t even have to be a mirror — it can be his reflection in a window, in a spoon, or even the side of a stainless steel bowl on the table.  He loves to watch himself on video (though he doesn’t always like to be filmed).

One of the highpoints of brushing his teeth seems to be watching his face in the mirror as he does it.  For some strange reason, he also likes to watch himself cry.  Sometimes, when he gets upset and starts crying, he’ll run to a mirror just to see his face.  I think he starts crying partly to watch his face in the mirror as he does it.  Occasionally, he’ll fake cry just so he can see it in the mirror.

We often have to shut the kitchen window shades across from Luke’s seat at the dinner table because he gets so distracted by his reflection in the window glass.  We’ll be eating and we’ll notice that Luke has stopped eating and is making faces in the window, sometimes accompanied by sound effects – yells, yelps, and screams that contribute to his experimental facial expressions. 

I’m not sure if he’s just at an age when he’s especially fixated on his image and how it can change.  (I’m hoping it’s a stage that he grows out of and that he’s not a modern-day Narcissus.)

He does seem to have a very good self-image.  He’s self-confident with a devil-may-care attitude.  When he makes a joke or does something entertaining, he’ll pause to remark, “I’m funny!”  (He also notes this quality in other people, commenting that ‘Dad,’ ‘Charlotte,’ or ‘Mom’ “is funny.”  He’s enthusiastic and likes to laugh – he’s a great audience.)

He often notes, “I’m getting bigger” or “I’m big,” when putting on clothes, doing something new, or, yes, looking at himself in the mirror.  In fact, he’s been talking a lot lately about playing basketball with me.  I play on an over-30 team and Luke is determined to join. When I explain that he’s not old enough or big enough, he’ll furrow his brow and insist, “But Dad, I’m big!”

He’s also becoming more self aware, in many ways.  A couple of days ago, he woke up in a bad mood, so Karen asked him, “Luke, are you going to be happy today or whiny and grumpy?”

His immediate response: “Whiny and grumpy.”

In other news, it’s our niece Emily’s ninth birthday and our nephew Ben’s fourth birthday this week, with a party this weekend.  We got Emily the new Diary of a Wimpy Kid (she’s a big fan) and Battleship!, which she’s played at our house in the past and really liked.  It’s different now – rather than two separate folding components it’s a single, upright, two-sided battlefield (or battle-water/ocean).  Looks cool.  We’re looking forward to playing it with her.

We got Ben one of our favorite books, The Knight and the Dragon, by Tomie dePaola, along with toy knight and dragon figurines.  Charlotte and Luke are very excited – one of their favorite activities is playing with their knight, princess, and horses.  Luke’s very excited about the dragon – it’s big, with fire coming out of his mouth, and, as Luke likes to point out, “it has a saddle!”

The inscription we wrote on the inside front cover of the book:

To Sir Benning Charles, Our Dearest Cousin, On the Occasion of Your Fourth Birthday as You Begin Another Year of Quests and Adventures!  Godspeed, Sir Luke Alexander and Princess Charlotte Fiona

Unfortunately, we don’t have our own The Knight and the Dragon yet (though we get it from the library frequently), so when I showed it to Luke, he yelled, very upset, “It’s mine!”  I reminded him we got it for Ben, to which he replied, “But I want it!”  (So much for being unselfish.)

Unbeknownst to him, we had gotten two copies, one for Christmas.  Charlotte, who had seen the two copies, excitedly said, “Dad, I have an idea!  I’m going to whisper it in your ear!”  Cupping her hand, she then whispered, “Dad, we can give the second book to Luke for his birthday!”

What a good idea!

I hope you enjoyed today’s serving of ‘mac & cheese.’