Each Child is Like a Box of Chocolates

To paraphrase Tom Hanks in Forrest Gump, it never ceases to amaze me how children surprise us each and every day. Most days are rather repetitive, although the routines and interests change every now and then. But every day, and each child, offers some incredible moment, in the form of a question, comment, or other development. For example, my girls (nearly 5 and 6 1/2) amaze me nearly every day with their drawings. And my son (my youngest, 1 3/4) is in an absolutely fascinating (at least for me) phase (which I dont recall the girls having gone through), which is that he needs to think about or "talk" and "hear" about where everyone in our family (of 5) is. He starts this most mornings, asking (loud enough for all of us to wake up) where his siblings are (he calls them by name). And just now, putting him to bed (we alternate each night and tonight was my turn with him), he went hysterical, listing everyone's name, going on some kind of overdrive, trying to position everyone. It's pretty powerful, having someone sob and shout through snot and tears all of our names, again and again and again. Family.