Logan Kenneth

Nate’s Nine: Logan

            I decided to go by birth order, so there would be no conspiracy.  Love these kids!

#9 – Affectionate.  I consider myself to be a positive and kind person, although I don’t particularly care for hugs and stuff like that.  Logan is made for moments like these.  Anytime you’re in need of a hug or a kiss, just ask Logan.  99% of the time he will say yes, and it will be warm and genuine.  He’s an absolute sweetheart, even if I don’t know where he got it from.  I just hope that it never goes away.

#8 – Tough.  I do think he has been under the influence of his two brothers lately, however, but for the most part, if you knock Logan down, he gets right back up again. (Aiden and Lucas cry or whimper through just about every challenging moment, or when things don’t go their way) Just the other day he was running and fell on a patch of ice.  I was a little freaked, but he just got up and held out his hands for me to dust off.  He falls down the steps more than any other toddler I’ve ever met, but rarely does he cry more than just a second or two.  I just think he has really bad balance.  Good thing he’s tough then.

#7 – Considerate.  “Hey Lucas, you’re stinky, go get a diaper.” “No.” “Hey Logan, can you go get Lucas a diaper so I can change him?”  “Yes, up high.” So he’ll take me by the hand and lead me to the diaper drawer, then once I give him a diaper he runs and hands it to Lucas.  I didn’t teach him this.  I know with all my heart that Aiden sure didn’t.  Maybe Sara can take credit for it, but he’s as selfless as an angel’s workings. 

#6 – Kind.  The one trait we share. Sara brought it to my attention the other day that when we took the boys to an indoor playground, Logan had a rough time playing on the big kid equipment.  Not because he couldn’t handle it, but because his kindness really is his weakness.  He had gone into the big ball pit, and was trying to come out after finishing up.  He kept saying please, but kids kept coming in and out without contemplation for letting Logan through.  He didn’t get mad, he didn’t cry, he just waited his turn even though he was there for 2-3 minutes...  When I pretend to get hurt while the boys and I play tackle, he’ll grab me by the hand and try and pick me back up (I think he sees it from watching all the sports) Kindest kid you’ll ever meet.

#5 – Stubborn.   Oh God.  For all his great characteristics, Logan is more stubborn than a mule.  His life quote could be, “Me do it.”  Which sounds great.  Until you realize that he wants to get in and out of his high chair which requires precious minutes that dad does not always have.  He wants to push the grocery cart around Target which causes us to move at a snails... what moves slower than a snail?  He wants to get in and out of his car seat, the bathtub, the stroller, the swing... I realize that he’s teaching me a life lesson and I can appreciate it.  But unless he “Me does it” all the way through middle school homework, snowblowing the driveway and mowing the lawn, I’m ready for a little bit of progress on his behalf. 

#4 – Gracious.  He says thank you for just about everything.  You hand him a towel, thank you.  You blow his nose, thank you.  You throw away his trash, thank you.  The only thing I don’t think he says thank you for is for wiping his bottom.  But I’ll give him a pass.

#3 – Reserved.  He has a very calming routine about him.  I envy him a little bit for this because unless you take one of his toys or interfere with whatever activity he’s consumed in, he’s as easy a child to raise as the summer is warm.  He just goes with the flow, and he doesn’t seem to be concerned about relationships or interactions or any of that stress.  It’s very unique coming from someone that I think is so young.  He will have a ton of friends when he gets older, but I’m glad to see that I don’t think those relationships will ever define him.  He doesn’t need anything more than himself. 

#2 – Constant.  I kind of got lucky, because I couldn’t think of any examples of this that would transfer so easily to language.  He doesn’t always need to be doing something, but it seems like he always is.  Then today, I told Sara that I wanted to play with the boys downstairs because Aiden wanted to do his homework with Mommy.  Anyway, the homework dealt with shapes and numbers which is right up Lucas’ alley, so he stayed up there with them.  Logan and I played soccer in the hallway for about an hour, and he was just as joyous and happy in the last minute as he was in the first.  He never gets tired doing the things that he loves, and it just seems like he loves so much.  He sleeps hard too, and I’m guessing that’s what he loves the most.  But when he’s awake, his relentless charm is solace for his father.

#1 – Unhurried.  I had a hard time finding a true Logan trait from the list that I used (www.ideonomy.mit.edu/essays/traits). Then I stumbled upon a teacher literary website that talked about creating book characters, and this was one of the traits that fell into a neutral category.  And I thought, perfect.  Logan has a lot of layers.  Easily more than the other two and more than some adults and friends I’ve gotten to know over the years.  But the way he goes about life... you look at all the examples that I had given before hence. Waiting for the kids to let him out, pushing the grocery cart, hours of soccer, deviating from his toys to give a hug or a kiss. Some of them please me, some of them challenge me, and some of them irritate me. He’s got all the time in the world it seems.  And he does.  He’s only two and a half.  But to understand it at such a young age... The one characteristic that I would love to leech off him, to add to my own inventory would be that of his unhurriedness.