If you want to be leader of the pack, get yourself a pair of siblings. Twins about a year and half younger than you are perfect. People will sometimes mistake you for triplets, but it'll be obvious you're the advanced one.
Seventeen months might not seem like much, but when you're part of the under five crowd, it's a big deal. Even now that the twins are three and can pretty much do anything that Bentley can, he can do it better. When the trio recently took swim lessons, it was obvious from the very beginning of the first lesson that Bentley had a big edge over Jake and Viva even though his prior pool time was no greater than theirs.
When it comes to games, puzzles, and outdoor activities, Bentley is far more advanced. He's faster, he's stronger, and he's more adept. This edge will shift as the kids age and acquire special interests, but at this point in time, The Big Brother is The Leader.
It's amazing how quickly Bentley learns new games and figures out the strategy needed to win a game. He usually doesn't mind losing games, as long he wins some of the time. After his dad won Princess Monopoly three times in a row, Bentley said he and I were going to have play ALL DAY until he won. Fortunately the dice and cards were with me and I lost the first game we played.
Bentley has a lot of patience and focus, so he's good at acquiring new skills. He quickly masters games on the iPad even though he can't read any instructions. His drawing skills are improving by leaps and bounds. He can draw better than I can. Maybe he'll give me some pointers?
What does Bentley get sent to time out most often for doing? Knocking Jake over. Sometimes Bentley is retaliating for something Jake did to him, but sometimes he knocks Jake over for no reason at all. I've read online that four year old males have an excess of energy and they don't always use it wisely.
We do wonder where he gets his energy from since he's a poor eater. He has a few favorite foods (bagels, wild rice, fresh bread with butter, pasta, peppers, rare steak, cornflakes), but he refuses to eat the vast majority of foods. It's seldom that he'll try a new food and definitely nothing with a sauce on it or a combination food. We have to sneak butter onto his pasta to add calories. He's a trial when it comes to eating.
He's a joy when it comes to most other things. I adore his mischievous smile and the low, gruff voice that he affects occasionally. It makes Kara and I grin when he uses it. His current favorite things are his Darth Vader t-shirt, snakes, and his blankie (always a favorite!). He loves to play Wii with his father. He likes to watch Dr. Who with his opa. He likes to draw. He likes dinosaurs, dragons, pirates, knights, super heroes, and cars. He likes his Sunbeam class at church which is a relief because he did not like the church nursery all that much.
Kara insists that Bentley take a daily nap, but he usually doesn't sleep; it's more a quiet time. He has to "try to nap." He's very particular that you use those words. Here is the usual nap-time routine. First he and I (or he and great-grandma) play a game together. Next he creates a fort of pillows on the large chair in my room. He then lounges in the fort until I say it's okay to get up. I usually tell him he has to try for 20 minutes to nap. He keeps a close on the digital clock so he knows when his sentence is up. Then he plays a game or two on my iPad or works with pattern blocks or tangrams. Sometimes we read a book or two. He might do a puzzle. A little later he might ask to check out what great-grandma is up to. He sometimes helps her play mahjong on the computer. Bentley is an easy kid to keep occupied because he has lots of interests.
Bentley likes to tease Jake and Viva. Sometimes this produces giggles and other times it produces tears. Four year old humor can be pretty odd. Kara said they were at the zoo one day with friends and Bentley was yelling silly things at the tigers and bears like "You're a pig!". The younger kids were all laughing like it was the funniest thing ever. Evidently, having a live-in audience helps to develop one's comedic style. Maybe we should do a YouTube video of his routine? Market it to other preschoolers? The kids often spend a while talking at bedtime after the lights are shut off and the door is closed. We could slip a recorder into their room.
B-boy is very active--jumping, leaping, tumbling, fighting, running, biking, and playing badminton. He loves to go outside. I think we'll be spending more time outside this winter than we have in the past.
Bentley is a very awesome four year old.
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