Mi nieto Jeremiah loves to share. Ya se, I’m gonna sound like that abuela that thinks her grandchildren are the nicest, cutest and smartest en todo el mundo. Y pues, asi es 😀

Jeremiah Joseph is 3, going on 15!  This mind is constantly working out ways to get the best and the most in any situation. He is a funny little guy. Since he hasn’t quite figured out how to hide his face, or he hasn’t discovered the poker face, we all can see his  carita thinking and scheming on ways to get “that” thing into his hands. So sweet and sneaky are his ways, that he’s turning me into an abuela alcahueta! I’ll have to define what I mean, porque when I googled it, I found too many “other” meanings. This term is used when a grandmother gives her grandchild what he or  she wants. Sometimes she will turn blind a eye to his sneakiness, as long as they are not in danger. Mira.

El otro dia, he left the booster chair he was playing on for a moment and when he returned his sister Rachel had taken over. Oh what indignation! He worked at pushing her off but being the only person in the house that Rachel can bully, she pushed him back and the drama escalated. I couldn’t enjoy my platica with their mom. So again, trying to not be an alcahueta, I said “Sorry Jeremiah, you left it and now you have to wait until Rachel is done.” Rachel gloated, because she won. I said, “In 5 minutes Rachel will get off” His eyes shifted as he studied what he heard, then he said, “Toe- K. Letmesee.” After the translation, I said “See what Jeremiah?” He pointed to my wrist watch and pulled my hand down. He knew it measured time and having no concept of time, he was bound and determined to wait those eternal 5 minutes.

Another time, JeJo asked his dad for soda and the answer he got was no. His mind worked on how to get a yes. No problem, first he comes to me whining for a drink and of course I stop and listen. How is it that his need for a drink hasn’t been met? Can’t they see his distress? I get him water, and he whines that I didn’t give him soda. I make a stand, I will not be an alcahueta! And I get really tough and say, “stop whining, change your voice.” Then I ask him, “What did daddy say?” His mind is processing, I can see it in his shifting eyes. He carefully, with a big boy voice says “Daddy said no, but D’ma I need a drink. Of this one. Please.” 

That soda incident landed him in a 5 minute time out. I fought off that temptation to ignore his dads command and say, “tenga mi amor” Daddy didn’t mean it. His push back was too much, I sent him to my room for a “5 minute” time out. A strong latina woman, with a “chancla hypothesis” in her roots, resorted to a time out. Hijole! That smells alcahueta-ish. Time outs were not in my parenting handbook so I definitely used that tool wrong that day. Mira lo que paso.

Jeremiah went to the room, after his several attempts to tell me how sorry he was for crying, ves how he used his words. He wasn’t crying, he had been whining and getting louder to the point of a temper tantrum. I simply rescued him before that mess and sent him on a time out.  While he was in the room, I was busy, I didn’t notice how quiet he was, eventually, more than 5 minutes later I said “oh! Jeremiah you can come out now” He comes out sheepishly saying. “D’ma I want to share” After translation (I have a better  tool than google translators; I have his big sisters or mom), Jeremiah had discovered his D’pas candy stash and was quietly enjoying his time out. I said, “that candy is D’pas, you need to ask him for it.” His eyes again were calculating. He went to his apa, who was relaxing on the floor and handed him the candy. He sat on his legs and declared to his apa that he wanted to share. He asked everyone to raise their hands if they wanted to share. Everyone did, except D’pa. Case closed.  D’pa must share like everyone else, especially he should share with him. Jeremiah got a portion of the candy and then he decided D’pa had not shared the right way and asked for the bigger piece.

En conclusion:

When Jeremiah finds a treasure for his use or consumption. He just wants to see it, touch, share it, then keep it and honestly now that I’m in abuelahood, I totally think that it’s ok for him to be cute.