30% of diversion

This week, our son Heaven turns four.

Aires and I cannot help but be proud at Heaven's development. When his preschool teacher told us that Heaven is an innately intelligent boy, we both claim that lineage had a lot to do with it. Of course, Aires would outwit me when she reminded me that studies said that about 70% of a child's traits comes from the mother. I have yet to locate these so-called studies though.

But more than his cognitive development, I am amazed at Heaven's emotional intelligence. He isn't your typical angel though. He is committed to his goals. When he says he wants something, he really goes for it. When he trudges along the off-beat track, I usually resort to diversion as a device to straighten him up.

Little did I know that Heaven would quickly pick this up and use it on me.

One morning, Heaven was his usual "committed to his goals" self. He did not want to eat breakfast and would rather wake up Lola so that he could watch TV. At 6:30 in the morning!!! I started with soft-spoken pleas before I used good-old muscles to prop him up in my arms and whisk him away from the scene of the crime. That was when he hit my left ear, leaving me with a ringing that blew my lids off.

I got so incensed that Heaven received an early morning time-out. The ruckus went on for a few minutes before I was able to calm Heaven and myself. Heaven looked for an ally and asked for his Nanay. The morning joust woke Aires up. I carried Heaven and deposited him to Nanay's loving arms. As I was explaining to Aires why I got angry, Heaven interrupted and looked for something.

"Tatay, where is the card I made for you?" A few weeks ago, Heaven made a card at school in time for Father's Day celebration.

I found the card and gave it to him. "See Tatay. Look! You are smiling here! Look at that photo. You are smiling there. And that! You are smiling there too." He went on and on, pointing at photos around the room which show Tatay all smiles.

That's when I realized that Heaven used the very same device I rely on to divert him from one unpleasant situation to a more acceptable one. He just diverted my anger to wonder. Well, that's the 30% he got from me. And what a whooping 30% that is!