Constructing a Nickname
"I'm a dump truck". My 22-month-old is fascinated with big vehicles that make lots of noise and crush or transport things. He started taking on traits of his favorite truck, and decided he wants to become one. He thinks being a dump truck is probably the coolest thing on the planet.
Or at least on the construction site.
We found a cartoon book about construction equipment, and since he loves it so much, we craftily decided to save it for "potty time". He's learning about payloaders, excavators, bulldozers, backhoes, tree spaders and several other big vehicles. My 9-year-old daughter thinks it's a great incentive to encourage positive bathroom behavior in a budding potty-trainer. I just think it gives a whole new meaning to taking a dump.
But it got me thinking...if we were all construction vehicles, which would we be?
The baby calls me a "backhoe" because he said it once and got a chuckle
out of his Dad. He's too young to understand double entendre, but he definitely gets the giggles when
he makes grownups laugh. The backhoe comment is always good for a nudge, a wink, a snicker or too whenever he tries it out on someone new. And it may or may not be appropriate. I will not divulge.
So if Mom is a backhoe, is Dad a ...frontloader? The possibilities are interesting, if not immediately apparent. He might suggest "pile driver" or "jackhammer", but I'd opt for "integrated tool carrier". Much more cosmopolitan and definitely more appropriate. Especially if you were familiar with the equipment. Perhaps "road widener"??
His big sister has always been a "bulldozer".
She can plow through a minefield of "no's" to win her way in practically any situation. It's frustrating for those of us trying to raise her, but she will definitely push obstacles out of her path as an adult. For that I say, bring it on, sister! I pity the poor boss or husband who tries to stand in her way. Timber!!!
His other sister is headstrong in her own way, but definitely more diplomatic. She's more like a
forklift, helping with little projects, scurrying around and keeping things simple, and in order. At a projected 6'2" when she's fully grown, she'll also be able to reach really high places, so "forklift" definitely applies.
Alas, older brother is the most laid back of all of us. I could see him as a cement mixer, churning away, steadily doing his own thing, while the other trucks scamper and scurry. But I might be overshooting a bit. The guy is extremely chill. While the girls clear the path and keep things moving and in order, and the little dump truck does his business, it's quite possible that our oldest son will be the guy holding the sign at the construction site. I just don't know if he'll go around saying, "I'm a hard hat". Doesn't have quite the magic, does it?
