After church we once again drove past a Burger King with an outdoor play area. Henry asked once again to stop and play, and once again we made an excuse ("hot slide") to avoid stopping. Henry was displeased, but he took it fairly well.
Audra and I then got into a mild dispute about a mistake I made in driving. She was right, but I was reluctant to admit it and soon changed the direction of the conversation. We got into a playful banter about passing on the right, exchanging quick statements back and forth. Henry soon called out from the back, "Stop fighting!"
Dude. That kid pays attention. Kids feign ignorance when it's convenient, but they are smart.
Audra and I have had some real arguments in front of Henry. Fighting is not something we plan, but we don't want to pretend that it doesn't happen. We want Henry to learn that you can quarrel with someone you love and make up afterwards.
I know Henry wants to copy me. He loves to be with me, doing whatever I am doing--using a screwdriver, taking out the trash, working on the computer. He even calls Audra "Babe" sometimes, just like Daddy does.
My boys will probably pick up some of my bad habits. I sure want to model some good habits for them, too. This old Rodney Atkins song (2006) tells a great story. It's a cute video, too.