Deven’s latest developmental stage has been to imitate the actions through play of those around him, particularly the off-limits actions of adults. Just recently, he watched a crew of guys cut the limbs off of a tree in our neighborhood. He responded by digging out a tiny cheap plastic tree from his toys, and ripping the leaves and limbs off of it. Eh, whatever, his cheap toy.
Ever since we brought his little brother home, he’s been watching in utter amazement as I perform such tedious tasks as feeding, changing, and burping the baby. Until recently, he hasn’t really had an outlet for expressing his fascination with babies. He never really acted out these actions with his other stuffed animals because, I suppose he was never really satisfied with having to pretend his stuffed frog was a human baby.
That problem has been solved!
Deven was rummaging through my closet when he found this little gem from my childhood. I’ve had that thing since I was probably 6 or 7 years old, and I was hoping to one day pass it on to a daughter. One day, maybe I will, but for now my curious son will have to do.
He took it and immediately stripped it of it’s cute little pink outfit, and did this:
He swaddled his baby and put in the bouncy chair, just as I had done to his brother. I went upstairs, grabbed a small swaddling blanket, and showed him the proper way to cozily wrap his little one. My mind went waaay back to when my mother, who was a labor & delivery nurse, brought a blanket home from work and showed me the proper way to swaddle one of my baby dolls. And now I get to teach my child. Never mind that he is a boy.
I also took one of the leftover newborn diapers and showed Deven how to diaper his baby. The best thing EVER, which also happens to be the one thing I couldn’t get a picture of (these pictures were hard enough to get) was when Deven snapped my brestfriend pillow around his waste, lifted his shirt, and proceeded to “feed” his baby. My mind was going back and forth from epic amusement, to being slightly disturbed, and back again. I decided to show Deven that there are other ways to feed little babies besides from mommy’s chest. I pumped a small bottle, just enough to finish a feeding, and fed it to his brother. It was Archer’s first bottle, and he has Deven to thank for this.
He is still a little boy, and terrible shit, because when he would bash the baby’s head up against the wall if he got frustrated. I had to explain to him that that was not how you handle a little baby, especially a real one.
There is nothing wrong with my son embracing his maternal side. Nothing at all.