Those Quirky Kids

I don't judge others. I say if you feel good with what you're doing, let your freak flag fly.
- Sarah Jessica Parker

No one takes SJP’s wise words to heart more than kids. Kids are quirky. My kid in particular, as of late. The other day, for no reason at all that I could tell, he started eating his popcorn with his toes. Yesterday he ran around with a pack of new friends at the playground, shrieking, “Get the baby!” What does that mean? What baby? Were they play-acting a kidnapping attempt? I have no idea. But they were happy.

Sometimes Miles will insist on putting on his pajamas in the middle of the day. Sometimes he will repeat a nonsensical word over and over and over. Some days he fingerpaints with his yogurt on the kitchen table. OK, that’s not so much quirky as gross.

But the point is, I never know what this kid will do from one day to the next. What goes through his mind when he decides to break off pieces of the wicker laundry basket and poke them through the holes of his sandals? Or when he stops, in midwalk, to roll around on some random person’s lawn? Or decides to wrap my sports bra around his neck while I’m folding laundry?

Some kids are quirkier than others. There was this one little boy at the pool one time who kept sidling up to me with this creepy grin and rubbing my legs. The little perv. Then this older boy went around shaking every single kid’s hand at the pool, saying, “Hey, buddy,” like he was running for office.

And then there’s the quirky dressers. I’ve seen little girls at the grocery store in full princess garb over their jeans and rain boots. I’ve seen other wacky outfits on plenty of kids. A pajama top and corduroys in August? Why not! A Batman cape over church clothes? Sure! My own brother used to insist on wearing his beloved OJ Simpson jersey 24/7 for weeks straight, barely even allowing it to be washed. Poor kid had no idea what the future held for his idol.

Ah, those quirky kids. They keep life interesting, don’t they? Now I have to go disassemble an intricate structure on my dining room floor consisting of toy trains, carpet scraps, a plastic baseball, and some circus animals, all carefully arranged just so.

TIP O’ THE WEEK: If you’re bloggers, you already do this: Write down and/or capture on film the crazy stuff your kid does. I carry around a small notebook just for this purpose. I know you think you’ll remember, but you won’t. Trust me on this!!