Compromises

Mommy D went to the flea market today and purchased, among other things, slightly used shoes for Theo, who seems to like what he got although it will be a few years before he can use them.

July 16, 2006 / Sunday / 1:30 p.m.

We know that someday Theo will leave us to lead his own life and chart his own destiny. Recent indications, however, have shown that the process has already begun. Theo always wants to go out and stay out, despite the blistering heat and humid weather of summer.

There's a small park at the back of our house, and whenever he's bored at home, we always bring him there. He would pick up twigs and stones and dip his finger into puddles of leftover rain, much to his mother's chagrin because the water is usually dirty. But the world is opening up to him and his curiosity is insatiable. Every sound, every sight, every smell open new vistas for him, and like a sponge, he absorbs, or at least, tries to absorb everything.

Recently, he has become very fond of our neighbor's cat. When he's out, he would always head towards our neighbor's house where the cat is often lazing around and licking his fur on the porch. Theo can't get closer, however, because there's a fence surrounding the porch. Once in a while, though, the cat would venture out and Theo would have the chance to get closer and touch him daintily with his finger. Like most felines, this cat would just ignore him and walk away. Theo would try to follow him until the cat jumps over the fence. And he would just stand there and say “Me...me...”, short for “Meow...meow”.

Theo had a slight fever again last night. The thermometer registered 38 deg C maximum before subsiding back to normal this morning. The problem when Theo is not feeling well is that he would often be crying and would not like to eat. It's really difficult for us, esp. for me, when he's in a foul mood because there is really no way of deciphering what he wants or needs. He would just cry his heart out, and when Mommy D is not at home, I would certainly be in the pits. It takes a whole lot of patience to handle him when he's having a tantrum. Thankfully, his tantrums don't last very long.

They say that life is all about compromises. You can't have your cake and eat it too. Theo is such an adorable toddler (like all toddlers out there). He can be very cute and very loving when he wants to. But it all comes with a price, esp. in Japan where we don't have relatives nearby who can help in taking care of him, esp. now that he has earned a Ph.D. in “Running Around.” But that's life's inevitable cycle. Someday, he'll be out of our house and have his own kid...who, by the age of 2, would probably have a Ph.D. in Tantrums.


Theo is savoring his biscuit.