The Clubhouse

I came home the other day and boy was Connor in a mood. He'd been with Carl for a couple of hours and was clearly worn out. After a short outburst where he was whining to go outside (in the middle of the day in the dead heat), Carl's voice got all excited and he called to Connor, "Hey, Connor, let's go to the Clubhouse!!" I was a little confused. We have a fitness center at our complex but nothing that resembles a clubhouse. Before I had time to fully register this thought, Carl and Connor were seated comfortably on the stairs below the gate, just "chillin'". Connor threw a blow-up ring down the two stairs and Carl's response was, "Nice one, little man. Pound it!" after which he held up his fist in a rudimentary "secret handshake".

It seems to be sticking and since that day, Carl and Connor have had many little "talks" in the clubhouse. Last night, when Connor was being a touch needy while I was trying to make dinner, Carl escorted him to the stairs...I mean clubhouse, to have a chat about being more independent and taking some "individual time." The talk seemed to work fairly well because it was a good 5 minutes before he was pulling on my leg again.

When he left for work this morning, Carl encouraged me to encourage Connor to take more individual time and let me know that if I set up a fort for him to play in because I'm not allowed in the clubhouse because I'm a girl, that would be acceptable.

I love having two boys. :)