Emulation

THE Twins decided to mimic Daddy today and forestall his workout for a time.

They have seen Dad haul out the weights for his workout countless times by now in their nearly 17 months. But now that they are growing older, they want to do what he does. Although too heavy for them to lift, they grasped the dumbbells in a similar manner as Dad does, and they tried their mightiest to lift them. They, together, actually managed to roll the 50 lbs. Weider plates a few inches. That's collaboration.

Their imitation behavior is so endearing. And scary. They will do everything the Parents show them - both the good and bad, intentional and unintentional.

But for now, they have some big shoes to fill, and try they do.

EJ tries on Dad's left shoe for fit.

Dad knows the volume of sweat that these shoes have endured. They have been drenched many times before. They persisted through three marathon equivalents on an elliptical together during five days the August 2008. Even though they have been washed many times since then, they retain a certain, uh, odor of accomplishment that he would rather his kids not get so close to or put their own young, perfect feet into. 

EJ contemplates the shoe while holding the timer.

Buggy tries Dad's other shoe.

Dad turns it toward the camera.

They do what they see done. After today's workout and a brief morning nap, Buggy saw Dad putting EJ's shoe on the Boy in anticipation of letting both toddle around (previous post here) when she noticed EJ's other shoe was by her side. Both she and shoe were some distance away. She made the connection, Daddy is shoeing him up; she must bring it over to Dad so he could put it on son. Aww, thanks Buggy! She has in recent times tried to put her own shoes on herself, but lacking the skill, hasn't quite done it yet.

However, she has a bit of tyrant (more here) in her about practicing what she learns.

That evening, Dad got into the playspace with them to show them how to put blocks into the correctly shaped hole in the box.

The letter "B" goes into the "B" slot.

They were thrilled and fascinated for brief time trying to puzzle it out. Dad would demonstrate, they would try. Dad gave instructions, encouragement and assistance, they tried some more.

After a spell, Dad left them to their "homework" and went to finish up some other chore.

A few minutes later Dad noticed Buggy "talking" animatedly to EJ. She was doing exactly what Dad had done with them both earlier, only now she was the "Parent" teaching an unwilling pupil (EJ). She was trying to show him how to put the block into the box - before she had accomplished it herself. She was grasping both the block and his hand like Daddy had done with them, and was trying to convince him to put it into the hole, i.e. the wrong hole and the wrong way. Even the cadence of her vocalizations matched Dad's earlier brief and simple verbal directions.

Dad thought the lesson was lost on her. She had not learned to put the right shaped block into the right shaped hole, she had learned how to lecture, and apparently bully, her brother! Dad gave serious pause to this thought.

"What did I teach her?" Dad reflected.

Meanwhile, EJ wanted none of it. He hasn't yet even been persuaded that there is value putting some block into some hole.

"Why bother?" he must think. "There is no food reward involved. I get no huggy-lovey like during reading time. This is a waste of time. Let me go burn off energy somewhere else."

And when EJ voiced his opposition to Buggy's tutelage and wandered away, she too cried in frustration. Dad imagines he could almost here her saying, "But Daddy, I was just trying to show him how to do what you showed me what to do, teach toddlers to put the block into the hole!"

Palm, meet forehead.