Animal Hands

A few days ago at the grocery store, as we were passing through the "fresh meat" section (which really never smells "fresh" to me), John ran up ahead of me a little ways. I called out to him-- "John, come back please." He turned around and came running back, and when he was almost by my side, he said, "My firetruck shoes make me run!"

Seriously! How's a mom supposed to keep her composure? I burst into laughter, and could barely stop!

It's good to know what makes John do the things he does sometimes. Now I'll know that the shoes just start running, and John has no choice but to tag along, since his feet are inside!

Another thing that's good to know: John has animal hands. I didn't realize this until tonight(because they look like normal, 2-year-old boy hands). But Brad asked him to finish his dinner. Again. He seems to need constant reminding that meal time is when we put food in our mouths, chew, and swallow.

So anyway. Brad asked him to eat his food. And he said. "I can't. I have animal hands."

Haaaah!!! Oh, man, we're in trouble. If only there was a warning that something hilarious was about to come from his mouth. But even then, I probably wouldn't be able to keep a straight face!

Brad worked with John and his "animal hands", to teach him how to hold the fork. It's really quite simple. Instead of using fingers (since most animals don't have them), you simply use your two hands, working stiffly together, to hold the fork in place between them. Then bring the food-laden fork to your mouth, bite the food off, and repeat. Amazingly, John finished his meal in record time (for him), using this method. If only we had known that this has been his problem all along! We could have helped him ages ago!