Colinisms

After two yelps and then Caleb dissolving into screams, I sharply turned my attention and voice toward the playroom. Caleb, crunched over in pain, cried out that Colin had thrown a lego creation at him. I ordered Colin upstairs, when he defended his actions by revealing Caleb's guilt in the incident also. I ordered them both upstairs for five minutes alone, to calm them down. Colin went immediately, but I stopped Caleb to comfort him before sending him up. After a few minutes of soothing words, I heard Colin calling from upstairs that he was ready to resolve things. I sent Caleb up with instructions that they were not to come back down until they had worked it out.

I heard some chatting back and forth on the stairs, and less than a minute later both boys emerged. Colin led Caleb to the living room, and then announced to us all that he had something he wanted to say in front of everyone. He faced Caleb and apologized for throwing the lego and hurting him so badly. Then he pulled out two small objects from behind his back and presented them to Caleb. Caleb looked at them closely as Colin explained what the little toys were and how they worked. I recognized the toys as ones from Colin's bed shelves; these were very previous to him, collections of little toys and trinkets, each one being given a specific and special place on the shelf.

I was so proud of him. I loved that, on his own, he realized that an apology was more than just an "I'm sorry" and that he had a genuine desire to try and make things right.

***

In another incident, my sister Jennifer came for dinner and brought a fantastic apple crisp. Colin tasted the first bite and declared: "Yum! This is delicious! This is way better than a pile of dirt!"