Weeks 38 and 39 - A Boy and His Dog, A Mom and Her Kid

Sweet Fall!  My, oh my, the views around here these days almost makes those negative temps in January worth it!  This morning my kiddo, the dog and I took off just before 8 AM to make our way up the trail.  The worm’s eye view of the hill from my yard in the Bristol village was that of deep greens with peppercorn reds and oranges, whereas with just a little elevation gain if you were to head up the hill a bit into Lincoln, the vibrant colors could nearly knock your socks off.  I love that my side of the hill takes a little longer to turn… as a result, Fall seems to linger in the village for a bit, and I relish it.

Last week I went up the hill in a scurry… 57 minutes, door to door.  My fastest time yet!  It felt great to have my heart pounding that much - like I was really stretching my lungs and muscles in a way I hadn’t in a while.  Today, however, was a nice contrast.  S and I weren’t quite lolly-gagging, but taking 2 hours felt luxurious by comparison.  In fact, I do believe that 2 hours was HIS fastest time!  I was pretty proud of him.  Besides the great hike, he so easily agreed to join me, (not a common occurrence), without fuss, whines, or bribes!  Surely the signs of a newly turned 5 year-old!  

I won’t lie, we’ve had some bumpy parent-child relations over the past few weeks leading up to this 5th birthday.  You know when you head into a patch of some sort with your kid, (insert anyone you’re close to here if you are blissfully kid-free), in which you are just out of synch?  You think its just a bad day at first, and then it turns into a full-fledged, dreaded, “phase”.  Said phase included: more attitude than normal, trying on other kids quirky phrases and behaviors, rolling of the eyes, and my personal favorite, kicking the dog.  I know!  OK, to cool your alarm a bit, the kicks were not particularly malicious, just, well, bratty.  Turns out my darling son was a little jealous of his new “sister-dog” - Hope - and the attention she was receiving from me.  And on top of the attention, how dare Hope listen to Mom’s commands and not his?!  

This kicking annoyed me to no end (indeed, its intended result), but I’m happy to say its gotten much better.  Although it took me a while, I found a consequence that seemed to make sense to him: no Hopey cuddle time before bed, and/or not allowing Hope to sleep in his room at night. I also gave him some more care taking, Hope-related jobs such as feeding her in the morning and at night and giving her treats when she goes in her crate.  He’s still a little rough with her, but more in a normal 5 year-old boy kinda way, and the kicking, at least in my presence, has stopped.  Sigh of relief!  Today’s hike was hopefully evidence that we’ve turned a corner on this phase, as S was his sweet, silly, playful self, especially with the pooch. I guess that’s how “sibling” relationships go!  Ya love ‘em, ya hate ‘em.  In the end, (crossing fingers), hopefully more of the former!