Fear and Loathing in Las Cornfields

My small boy is not the fearless, headfirst sort of dynamo that some children, especially boys, tend to be. As his health and safety directly control my stress level I am very grateful for this. Nonetheless I am quite perplexed by the random and unpredictable nature of his fears. For example, he has a small stuffed cow toy that will moo when squeezed. E sometimes thinks this cow is funny and cuddly. Sometimes he thinks this cow is the anti-Christ. The "moo" can send him into fits of giggles but more likely it will cause a negative reaction stronger than when he got his fingers caught in a door.

We had the pleasure of having some good friends stay with us for a couple of days this week and they brought little E a birthday gift. It is a magnetic farm with interchangeable animals and lots of songs and noises. The small boy was quite taken with the magnets but the sounds unhinged him. He would cry and snuggle until he could muster enough strength to go back to the other toys.

E wandered over to the toy this morning and I went with him. I turned it on. The little one had me in kind of a headlock with one arm wrapped tightly around my neck (the other arm was free to manipulate the magnets). I pressed the button and the toy played a song. E was ok. He then started pressing the buttons himself though he did not let go of me. As we enter the "no, no, no" phase of development it is nice that he still wants me to provide comfort and encouragement.

As for the loathing ... E was sick this week with a head cold. Runny nose, fever, the works. Just an ordinary childhood cold. I think we can all sympathize, but being under the weather made E dislike just about everything. The onset of the cold may have even influence his food rejections of late. He refused to nap. He refused to sit still. He refused to play. He refused to drink anything.

He's doing much better now; back to his usual cheerful (but randomly fearful) self. He's walking everywhere (and falling everywhere). Favorite toys include cell phones, shape sorters, slides, trucks, trains, horses, cups, magnets, balls, the cat, blocks, rings, toys that make noise, quiet toys, and the cat. Ok, he likes just about anything although he's not as into sitting and listening to books as he used to be. Did I mention he likes the cat?

The cat, however, may just loathe the boy.