Little Helper

AJ was an enthusiastic assistant last weekend in helping his Chicago grandma to plant some tulips in our front yard. AJ is still obsessed with handyman tasks of all kinds around the house and yard, and his absolute favorite things to do are to watch and assist with projects around the house and yard work, especially if they involve tools. We have had some of our biggest battles of the will over AJ's intense desire to possess and manipulate tools. Last weekend, Joe was using a hammer to pound sinkers into the wall to hold nails that would (finally!) hang some pictures. Joe said before he knew it, AJ had a hold of a screwdriver out of the toolbox and was banging it against the wall like Joe was doing with the hammer. Joe said AJ was distraught when Joe took the screwdriver away. He thought he was imitating his da-da and could not comprehend what he was doing wrong. We have tried the toy versions of tools, but while he enjoys playing with the toy tools when that is all that is around, his eyes get big and he starts saying "ooh! ooh!" when he spots a tool box or a stray tool.

The other day I caught him standing on tip-toes with his hand blindly digging around in the junk drawer for a screwdriver. His other obsessions are scissors and knives, and he has watched me in the kitchen enough to know that they are kept in the silverware drawer. He has also been caught red-handed standing on tiptoe with his arm stretched up over his head blindly rooting around in the silverware drawer for sharp, pointy contraband. It reminds me of an elephant rooting around with its trunk looking for peanuts. We are definitely in the no-no phase at our house.