Skillz

Ethan, my dear second born, has always been a little bit...socially advanced, we'll call it. He is quite a bit more mature than his older brother, and I dread the day when I have to leave all the kids alone and explain to Cameron why I'm putting Ethan in charge. That'll be fun.

Sometimes it gets a little obnoxious to have a kid who, at age seven, can put you in your place with his premature maturity. He often is the one telling me to get a grip and quit acting like a baby, not the other way around.

And if he can do that to me, imagine the annoyance he is to his brothers who have to wonder why they were cursed with two mothers.

The best part about Ethan's aged personality is the way he talks. I can always count on Ethan to entertain when there's nothing good on TV. He can be coy, manipulative, sarcastic, serious, or thoughtful. He is often more eloquent than many adults I know, he owns his voice, and his comedic timing is perfect.

His grasp on the spoken word is somewhat above that of the average seven year old, I'd say.

The written word though? Entirely different.

The other day I sat down on the couch to listen to Ethan read aloud from one of his dreaded, put-me-to-sleep non-fiction books about animals. He began so confidently:

"...a frickin' wild dog..."

And I had to interrupt him:

"No, Honey, that says, 'African Wild Dog'."

So the reading comprehension leaves something to be desired, but if you want to have a conversation with an exceptionally astute second-grader, Ethan's your man-child.