Aenaon Anecdote, The Unkind Fan

Hi. This is "mom", that ubiquitous figure I've become. My second self, or primary self, who's to say. Anyway, just wanted to share this bedtime anecdote with you about Aenaon. Firstly, after eating his Curry Wheatberry Salad (his favorite, yes he has distinctive tastes for a two year old), we came home and readied the little ones for bed. First I put Adara down, but she began to cry after I went into Aenaon's room. She cried the whole time I went through his nighttime routine. So I rushed back to her and nursed her some more (until she was nearly drunk, or passed out with satisfaction), but Aenaon was crying by this point. Really crying (which he DOESN'T do anymore at bedtime). So then I went back into his room to see what was the matter. Well, it was his fan, "Mami, no fan" he said half sobbing and utterly distraught. It may seem like a simple problem to solve to the outsider. He was standing up at the switchplate, and he had turned it off. But, here's the catch (and the crux of the problem). Aenaon's fan takes about a minute and a half to completely stop spinning. (It's a ceiling fan, if you couldn't tell...) So, when one turns the switch off, it doesn't immediately stop. And therein, my friends, lies the problem. The all-holy sense of Order, which is so crucial to a toddler, was violated. A crucial rule was broken. The world is a frightening place, and our little ones try so hard to to feel knowledgable and understanding of the myriad of occurences and rhythms in our world-- so they thrive on order and routine, because they feel like they can know, or control something in their surroundings. Therefore, something as simple as a fan that does not stop turning immediately when you turn it off can cause a breakdown of seeming disproportion to the occurence at hand. But after a couple of lullabys all was well in the R-- household again. (I had to close my eyes a few times so I wouldn't laugh because he was watching the fan so intently as it slowed down while I sang).

So let me include a few "baby notes" while I'm at it.

Aenaon's current favorite nighttime read: (please forgive my "stars")

Moonhorse by Sylvia- (will have to look it up later) (****)

other current favorite reads:

Hello, Robots by Robert--- "..aa.."(see above) (***1/2)

Nursery Rhymes Collection

and old favorites:

It's OKAY to be Different (***) Todd ______

People by Peter Spier (*****)

Past favorites:

Jamberry

Well, there are too many. He's always loved books. They've been his preferred occupation. I worry a little that Adara is missing out because I'm always catering to his reading preferences, and I don't spend the few minutes I have with her alone reading...