The puzzles are not only a hobby, but also an opportunity to show off his skills and get plenty of attention and praise. Of course his parents are impressed. And Alex is pretty proud of himself too (as he should be).
The other day, Jacob sat and watched him complete a puzzle. Alex was beaming when Jacob told him admirably, "Alex, you are excellent at puzzles!" And I was chuckling when Jacob told me, "Alex is teaching me how to do puzzles."
Alex has also been known to teach a few adults in the ways of Puzzling. Just yesterday, as his Nan was "helping" him, and turning a piece from side to side, searching for its place on the puzzle, Alex helpfully and patiently suggested, "Why don't you turn it this way?" Sure enough, it was a fit.
It's actually quite impressive watching a 3-year old easily complete one puzzle after the next.
With a look of concentration, he slaps some pieces down quickly, and others, he turns in his hand, analyzing the angles and curves to determine if it's a proper fit. If it's not, he doesn't whine or get frustrated. He simply sets it aside, and tries a new piece. I admire his patience and strategy.
Parenting can be a bit of a puzzle in itself. You have to consider the many pieces of a child's personality, and recognize that different strategies and approaches are required to achieve the desired outcome. Sometimes there's a quick and easy solution to an issue, and other times, you have to step back and think, try to see the big picture, and keep coming back to the matter at hand. Occasionally, a wrong move can set you back and cause frustration. But you keep working at it patiently and persistently, and when you get it right? It's rewarding. And you're happy and proud.
As for my Puzzle Master? He finds many an opportunity to puzzle his mother. One minute I'm marveling over his intelligence and his love of learning, and the next, I find myself telling him things like, "No hitting", "Don't put your hand in the toilet", "Ask without whining, please", and my personal favorite, "Get your hand out of your butt."
But I guess that's pretty much every 3-year old for ya. And ours sure is a perfect fit for our family.
2 comments:
I'm telling you- he's going to be your little Jeff (engineering and math brained) even though he looks just like you. Speaking of looking like you, his concentration face when he's working on one of those puzzles is definitely your concentration face!!
He is awesome at puzzles. When he was helping me, sometimes he was "really" helping me. I hate to admit it. I agree with Kerri. It's the engineering brain.
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