Alien McFrank

So I was bathing the boys the other night and my son Sammy had a toy alien in his hand, playing with it in the tub. This action figure looks very similar to the alien from the movie Alien. Scary! I told Sam that it had spit that was like acid:

Sam: What's acid?
M: It's a liquid chemical that can burn your skin. I saw it in a movie.
Sam: I don't think that's true.
M: How do you know? Have you ever seen an alien?
Sam: Yes. His name's Alien McFrank.
M: Alien McFrank? Where'd you see him?
Sam: In my bed. Something was tickling my foot and I looked down and it was Alien McFrank. But he's a nice alien.
M: He is?
Sam: Yeah, he has acid for spit, but he doesn't spit on me. He said he wouldn't spit on my family either.

All of this came out of his mouth without skipping a beat. He didn't even hesitate when coming up with the name Alien McFrank. He said it all with such confidence that it makes me consider that there just might be an alien race that comes down to Earth to tickle our feet.

This is my Sammy. He's a crack up. He has a fantastic imagination and a way of looking at the world in is very own unique way. He drives me nuts most of the time. He's very distracted by the world around him. He has a difficult time getting stuff done because he has a story to tell, or something else to do. Lately he just wants to have a chat with his teacher when he's supposed to be doing his work. We discussed this at Parent/Teacher Conferences yesterday.

Sometimes I just don't know what to do with him. I don't want to squelch his creativity, but he makes me crazy when he doesn’t get the most basic things accomplished because he's busy counting something, rhyming words or singing in his "own language". I want to be a supportive mom, but the world we live in demands that you go to school, do your work and do it on time. If he didn't have any time constraints he'd be fine. It's always the fact that he's on a time table that he gets himself in trouble.

Oy! This parenting gig is tough stuff! I worry that I'm too tough on him. I get so frustrated and I end up yelling at him to hurry up. The child is a gem! He's a sweet and kind soul with a wild imagination. He's the kind of kid I would be friends with if I was his age. How can I be a good parent to him and help him be successful? How do I teach him about time management without turning into the wicked witch of the west? How do I make sure he knows that I think he's a wonderful, awesome kid even though sometimes he drives me nuts?