05/24/2007

As a prologue to this blog, I would like to make one fact perfectly clear: I don't EVER use the horn in my car. Bad drivers can cut me off, swerve into my lane, ram into my bumper several times, or even drive waaaay below the speed limit in front of me and I will not honk. I might think unkind thoughts, but for whatever reason, the idea of blasting the horn just doesn't come to me. It's almost as though I don't know the horn exists. Nick honks occasionally and is a more passionate driver in general. Just bear that in mind...

The other day I went into Gordon Food (like a bulk grocery store) with my Mom and Nathan. Nathan immediately claimed the job of cart-pusher. To see this 19-month-old pushing the cart is humerous. He has to hang onto the bottom rungs and peer through the slats in order to steer. His skills still aren't much to brag about. In some ways I find it charming: this little man trying so hard to help. In other ways it is frightening: like a blind person attempting to operate a motor vehicle. However, for the first time, I have to add 'embarassing' to the list of adjectives that accompany Nathan's cart-pushing infatuation.

Mom was checking out the price of soda. I was trying to carry on a normal conversation with her while keeping an eye out for the toddler on the loose with the cart. Any attempt to hold the cart in place was met with a ferocious tantrum, so I decided to simply walk along next to him and help guide the cart. If we can't stop, I thought, we could at least prevent collision. At any rate, we were moving down the aisle and quickly approaching some other shoppers. When we came very close to a woman who was intently studying bulk baked beans, Nathan obediently slowed the cart to a stop. Words of praise were just about to exit my mouth ("Good job, Nathan! That was good stopping! Thank you for stopping!") when words of less-than-praise escaped Nathan's mouth:

"Beep Beep!"

I laughed right out loud. I hoped that maybe the woman who had just been scolded by my toddler would find the experience equally humerous. She didn't. Life goes on, but I'm left to ponder where he learned that honking at someone is a sign that they should move? Daddy, was it you? Perhaps I will take advantage of this cognitive development and beep at Nathan when he is in my way or hanging off my leg. Sweet Nathan--our little boy who is able to say "please" and "thank you" may never learn the phrase "excuse me." And why would he? "Beep Beep!" is so much more fun!