LEROY'S WORLD

Leroy (the six year old) is a piece of work. When you warn him NOT to do something, it really translates in his brain to....."Oh my God, when Mom or Dad are not looking, I have GOT to try this!" Two examples of this have occurred in the past week:

1. Leroy has these magnets that are little balls. They hook on to other stick magnets so he can build these large creations. One day, Leroy comes running up the stairs screaming his head off. He is crying uncontrollably and flapping his arms as if he is going to take off in flight. Conversation goes like this:

Mom/Dad: "Leroy, calm down. What happened?"
Leroy: "AAAARRRGGHHHH!" (Sob. Scream. Flap wings.)
Mom/Dad: "Leroy! Calm Down. What happened?"
Leroy: "AAAAAAHHHHHHH!" (Sob. Scream. Flap wings more.)
Tori: "Leroy swallowed the magnet ball."
Mom/Dad: "He what?"
Christian: "Leroy swallowed the magnet ball."
Leroy: (Sob.) "Am I going to die?"
Dad: "Maybe."

Next incident:

Mom: "Leroy, I'm putting this fly strip up to get rid of the flies. Leroy, it is poison. The poison kills the flies. Do not touch the fly strip. The poison is dangerous and can hurt you."
Leroy: "Okay Mom."
Mom: "Now repeat to me what I just said."
Leroy: "Huh?"
Mom: "Tell me what I just said about the fly strip."
Leroy: "What fly strip?"
Mom: Sigh. "The fly strip that has poison on it."
Leroy: "Don't touch the fly strip. It is poison."
Mom: "Good Leroy."

Later on that day while MeMa was watching the children, Leroy got in to the fly strip. MeMa tells me about it.

Leroy: "Mom, if you touch the fly strip, will you die?"
Mom: "Maybe."

This has been going on since we adopted Leroy at two. At three years of age, Leroy ate a half a tube of toothpaste after I just told him to not touch the toothpaste. Poison Control knows us on a first name basis.

If only Leroy thought he WOULD die if he did something I told him not to do, MAYBE he wouldn't do it. Highly unlikely though. Leroy has his own ideas about what non-food items should go in his mouth. He has perfectly sane (in his mind) answers as to why he conducted certain types of behaviors. Leroy can justify anything. I just hope he can make it to age seven.