Jack Presley at Four (Going on Forty)

So I never got around to this post in the fall, when we got pictures taken, but I do have more insight into Jack at four now, so I’m ok with it. Jack Presley at four: • Jack has far too much of me in him. He is a perfectionist and has a fit when he cannot do something his way, when he wants to. However, like me, his perfectionism is selective. When he can’t throw a ball on the roof and catch it as it rolls off – FIT. When you can’t read his name at all despite half a year of preschool working on it – COULDN’T CARE LESS. And he sets the priorities, not us. • Jack is a Daddy’s boy. While he has so much of me in him, he has a fair amount of Troy in him, too. He loves to play sports, watch sports, talk about sports, anything sports. While the traits he gets from me, unfortunately, make life difficult at times for him, the traits he gets from Troy provide fun and enjoyment for him. I think that is why they have such a strong bond. Troy has as much fun as Jack when they play together. • Jack is kind to everyone. He recently started a new daycare and his caregiver commented that he is nice to every one of the kids and will play with anyone. I think that is why he is popular already with many kids. They like to play with him because he likes to play with them. And you can say this about every kid he knows. • Jack is still smart as can be. However, at four, he will come out with a very well thought out and logical statement, followed by a random comment about poop or his butt. It just means we need to really embrace those few seconds of pride in his intelligence before he ruins them by being such a boy. • Jack is sensitive. He’s my child that I feel the urge to shelter all the time. I never want his feelings to get hurt because it seems to hurt him so deeply. When another child at school teases him, I have become the mom that wants to spank the other kid’s butt. The other day he came up to me with big tears in his eyes and told me he missed Riley, our cat that passed away last spring. I know that sensitivity will make him a compassionate adult, but it is so hard to see him hurt by life’s struggles and challenges. • Jack is funny. The other day Brett was climbing on something he shouldn’t have been and Jack looked at me and said, “This isn’t going to end well.” He has the knack for picking up phrases we say and using them at just the right time so they are hilarious coming out of his mouth. While I am so proud of every accomplishment and milestone Jack reaches, I also look at him and wish he would never grow up. I’m not sure if it is a “Jack thing” or a “first-born thing,” but every time I realize how big he is getting, it is almost bittersweet. This strange mix of excitement and pride, with sadness and longing to keep him little. While I see so much of myself and Troy in Jack, I also see that he is becoming his own person. And as much as I want him to stay my little boy, I also love being surprised by and getting to know the Jack that is emerging.