You’re MALIK
YOU’RE MALIK
09 24 26
This week you started putting on your own shorts. You also went to the potty for the first time. Last week you counted to ten unprompted and unceremoniously. The only one of those things you’ve done more than once since is put on your shorts. But there is one moment you keep returning to. “I’m a big kid now?” “No, you’re Malik.” “I not a big kid now?” “No, you’re Malik.” You picked up your sage green silicone beach shovel and said, “Can you dig it? We can dig it.” You use humor in ways I could’ve never imagined. While chasing your birthday balloon around, still holding helium nearly two months later, you fell onto your Coterie cushion and immediately blurted, “I sat down.” Lately, in the morning, as breakfast gets close to being ready, you repeat, “I don’t want to,” only to yell, “Breakasttt!” when I let the room know it’s done. You’re hugging with intention now. Before bed, before we put you down, you reach for us. You’re not easily persuaded to do something you don’t want to do. You say no even when you’re bribed with toy cars. You’re eating at the dinner table now. In “the big chair.” You’re hanging from the clothing bar in your room. You want to do almost everything on your own first. None of this means you’re a big kid now. Yes, you are growing. More importantly, you are developing. And right beside you, I am developing too. I’ve been big for years. That doesn’t mean I’m a big adult now. It just means I’m Brock. I’m more likely to place boundaries when they’re needed. I’m practicing patience and steadiness. I’m prioritizing rest. I change my mind often. I don’t always eat all of my food. I’m into reading books and watching cars speed by. Some days I’m the opposite. I’m learning to be okay with that. I’m not arguing that you are small or denying your growth. I’m only refusing to make your newest capacity your identity. All of this tells me something about where your development is right now. None of it tells me who you will be tomorrow. Growth describes what is happening to you. “Big kid” tries to describe who you are. I’d rather leave that open. You’re Malik.
