Oliver is very strong. And he’s been that way since he was a baby. I remember in those early months after getting him dressed for daycare, I’d feel like I spent the morning wrestling gorillas. Not much has changed.
He was over 9 lbs. at birth and has continued to be a very big boy. So between his size and his strength (and his force of will), he’s almost impossible to overpower in a struggle. ALMOST impossible. You see, while he’s been growing and getting stronger – I have been getting stronger myself. All of this lifting/hoisting/carrying/immobilizing of a now 47 lb. boy has developed upper body strength that I never dreamed I’d have. I honestly think that I could join any high school wrestling team and lead them to the state championship.
But that doesn’t mean it’s fun. Every day is a work out. When Oliver was first showing signs of this, I used to make jokes about how I envisioned myself grappling with a giant two year old in the mall. Now he’s three. It’s not funny anymore.
And to make things even more complicated – he has delayed speech, so we’re not really at a point where I can try reasoning with him. For now, all I can do is keep up my strength and enjoy the look of my arms in a tank top.
Really – he’s a good natured kid. And as his teacher always says to me, “there isn’t a mean bone in his body.” He’s just really physical and he loves to play very physical games. Running, throwing balls, rolling around on the floor, being tickled…it all thrills him. Unfortunately, he just doesn’t know his own strength. He never means to be too rough with his much younger, MUCH smaller siblings. But he really needs to learn when it’s just a little “too much.”
The twins absolutely egg him on of course. He can be happily playing with blocks, minding his own business, and they’ll come over and start poking at him. At first, he’ll ignore them, but once they really get his attention, you can just see his eyes light up. And then he’s all, “Welcome, to another edition of Thunderdome!”
The irony is that I’m almost positive that he’s not going to be a big man. None of the men in my life are tall (my husband, father and brother are all around 5’ 8’’). And even the tall men in Chris’ family are more in the 6 foot range. So my guess is that sometime in early high school, everyone else will catch up.
But I do think that he’ll continue to be strong. Even if he’s short (or “not tall”), he’s a solid kid and those muscles make him a match for children twice his age. This can help him in any sport, and we’re thinking that will probably be the best channel for all of that energy he has. Maybe he’ll be a wrestling team champion. I have little experience in this area, but I’m sure that I can help. Now that I’ve developed this upper body strength and perfected my “holds” – I can probably help with the training. Because you know – I can take him.
My six year old is like this. Strong and solid. Luckily he’s the youngest sibling — but he’s been taking his big brother down since he could crawl.
Both my boys are speech delayed. I’m hoping to be done with speech therapy this year. It really does complicate communication with them when they are in those toddler years..
My son is really tall for his age and physical. he towers over the other boys at school. People tend to thnk he is a bit slow because he’s only three but he looks like a six year old with a pacifier and wearing mommies shoes
My youngest son was always “off the charts” so one day I told my neighbor that he was in the 100th percentile (not knowing exactly what that meant). Afterward, my husband kindly explained that it’s not possible for him to be the 100th percentile because that means he is the biggest child in existence for his age…I was so embarrassed, and then I turned to my husband and laughed “how do you know he’s not…he is REALLY big for his age?”
My nephew is one of the tiny guys in his class and his best friend is the biggest boy. Its so funny to see them horsing around. Alex looks like he’s 4 and his friend looks like he’s 8 but they are both 6.
This post makes me very thankful for my sweet little girl, who rarely ever gets physical. She would much rather suck her thumb and color.
Madge – I appreciate the peek into a more sane future.
Suzie – you made me laugh OUT LOUD. Mommy’s shoes…
Anastasia – I always tell people that your son was the biggest baby I’ve ever seen. He was the same as Oliver at birth 9 lb. 2 oz. right? But I swear he gained another 5 lbs. within a week. Love those big babies.
Renee – I think that sounds cute. Kind of like Oliver and some of the kids his age in our neighborhood.
Christy – I so want my daughter to be like that…but she may not stand a chance in this house…