The Bear at Almost 4 Years Old

A. His Schedule – He likes to stay up late and sleep late. He seems to be chronically tired but also habitually unwilling to nap or go to sleep when we put him in bed. If he does finally fall asleep for a nap, expect him to be out cold for at least a couple of hours.

B. His Size – He seems to be a little smaller than average.

C. His Personality – He is so outgoing. He is always trying to connect with people. He has a powerful drive to be loved. He wants to help people. He wants to make people laugh. He wants to do things with people (teamwork). He wants people to give him their undivided attention. He is, in that respect, like a sponge – the more attention you shower on him, the happier he is as he soaks it all in. The other kids at his daycare seem to like following him, as if his joy and fascination with whatever he’s doing at the moment is contagious.

D. His Favorite Things

• Colors: “Rainbow.” Also, "your favorite color."
• Shows: He likes scary shows, like Goosebumps and Scoobie Doo. He asks us to let him watch scary movies that are designed for adults but we keep saying “no.” His drive to be thrilled seems higher than average to me.
• Toys, Play, and Art: He likes his stuff dog, Zoie. He loves to collect and put on makeup, face paint, camouflage Army makeup, etc. I’m not sure if his fascination with makeup is because he enjoys the act of collecting things – pirating makeup from my dresser – or if he actually likes the makeup itself. I suspect it’s a bit of both. He likes painting (like with watercolors) and applying real paint with a brush and makeup with a brush seems quite similar to me. Speaking of art, he creates it very quickly and passionately. It’s not unusual for him to finish all three art projects in his Bible class and do an additional art project to boot before we pick him up – in the course of that same hour, it’s not unusual for our other son to have belabored over the very first assignment and not yet completed it. Bear also loves mixing things, i.e. making slime. He also loves Play Doh. In the future, I wouldn’t be surprised if he becomes an artist or a chemist. Though I also wouldn't be surprised if he becomes an actor.
• Time of Day: I don’t know, but I’d probably say nighttime, especially if there’s cuddling on the couch.
• Bedding: He still loves his cloud blankies, and will frequently carry a couple of them around, and also his rainbow-colored pillow.
• Foods: Meat. Cheese. Pepperoni. Fries. Chips. Lemonade. Iced tea (very rarely has access to this). Popsicles.
• Activities: He enjoys swim class. He also enjoys gardening with his dad.
• Animals: Cats, especially ours. He also likes bugs, especially spiders. We had a worm farm that he was pretty interested in (sadly, the worm farm did not last). He seems to really enjoy all animals, especially friendly animals.
• Heroes: He loves superheroes. He seems to prefer powerful superheroes like Disney’s Maleficent, but he also loves Batman.

E. Things He Does Not Like – Following orders. Being criticized (no one does). Being told “no.” Being told to take a nap. When his brother pulls him back so that his brother wins a race.

F. What He’s Thinking About – He’s already looking forward to his birthday party.

G. Surprises – Sometimes he’ll say really funny or cute things. He has a wonderful sense of humor.

H. Best & Worst Things –

• The best things: When he’s cuddly. Or being funny. Or being nice to his sister. His little hoarse voice. When he mispronounces words. When he gets excited about doing something, which happens a lot.
• The worst things: His temper. When he does something mean to another child, like spit or tear up their artwork. I think he does these things when he feels rejected by others. For example, when one of his friends told him that she didn't want to be his friend, that's when he decided to tear up her artwork. It's not an excuse, but it does shed some light on what he's thinking. He's a sensitive guy.

I. Family and Friends – So far, when his brother gets invited to something, we’ve taken him. So, his friends are essentially the same as his brother’s friends. Oh the joys of having two kids relatively close in age.

J. Parenting or What I’m Doing Differently – I’m trying to use the love language of touch more with Bear, as I believe that may be his primary language. I’m also trying to say “yes” more, even when it’s a bit late, or when what he wants to do is messy.