An Afternoon With Luke

Luke and I usually have time to kill while Cameron takes a nap on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The other afternoons, Luke is at preschool and happily occupied for a few hours. But on Tuesdays and Thursdays he must endure a long boring afternoon at home. Today he said he wanted to make cracker muffins (?). Since he has had an upset tummy the last few days, I was willing to concede to anything (within reason) that might sound appetizing to him. I googled "cracker muffins" and found a recipe for graham cracker muffins. Lacking in healthful substance but full of sugar, I knew Luke would probably love them. I let him do all the measuring and pouring, slightly surprised at his accuracy. Usually I can't help but take over, but caring little about how these muffins would turn out, I let go and realized how steady his hand has become and how he does things precisely like I do them...my little onlooking shadow for all these years.

As the muffins were in the oven, Luke got out a Memory game and began laying the cards on the floor. When he asked if I would play with him, I remarked that I'm not very good at that game. What I meant to explain was that that particular Memory game has, in my opinion, the most hideous artwork and all the pictures look practically identical. I guess I'm picky about the aesthetic appeal of certain games. I was about to politely decline, but he was eager to start and showed me his first match before I could say no. I'm sure he peeked. Who gets a match on the very first try!? I turned over two cards with no success. After a few unsuccessful turns, Luke took pity on me."Why don't you try again Mom?". After disregarding the rules and trying to match one particular card repeatedly, I finally got a match. "See Mom," said Luke encouragingly, "you just have to keep on trying and then you find the match".

I felt a little silly, having my son buoy up my indifferent attitude that he had mistaken for discouragement. At the same time, I was exceedingly pleased that he understood the proper way to approach defeat. Would he remember his own advice in the future when he finds himself at the losing end? I left for a few moments to check on the muffins. Nearby from the kitchen I could hear him rustling through the cards at a rapid pace. When I returned he had two cards neatly separated from the rest. "Why don't you try those two?" he innocently suggested. Of course, they were the match I had most recently been searching for. "You did it! Good job Mom, that's two matches!" he said trying to bolster my confidence. "But I still have more than you," he added with the prideful innocence that only a child can get away with.