Emil is 4!

Impish: (adjective) inclined to do slightly naughty things for fun; mischievous. “He had an impish look about him.” Emil: age 4

Today is Emil’s 4th birthday. He is, at four, sweet and funny and impish, but very much a people-pleaser. When someone expresses anger at him, he gets the saddest, most genuinely devastated look on his face and cries. He does not like to be in trouble, yet he sometimes just can’t help himself when it comes to certain little naughty ways. For example, a common occurrence in our house is the sound of Oliver or Milo (mostly Oliver, though) shouting, “EMIL!!!! COME BACK HERE!” followed by the pounding of several pairs of feet racing around the house, Emil’s laughter, and finally the thumping sound of Emil being pummeled. It is usually because Emil grabbed something Oliver was playing with and ran away, laughing, just to torment his brother. It happens every day, as predictable as can be. Just as predictable is Emil’s seemingly surprised and offended reaction to such a walloping. Eventually, he will get over this game. Maybe.

Emil is finally a good sleeper. For years, he would wake several times at night, insisting that there was a bad guy in his closet, or that he needed a hug, or a drink of water, or a kiss, or to be tucked in. But now, he is happy to go to bed and usually stays there. Sometimes he even tells us he would like to take a nap, and subsequently puts himself to sleep for a couple of hours in the afternoon.

He loves to play with Legos, Magna Tiles, and his little Octonauts bath toys. He often carries one Lego guy around on all our errands, to the playground, everywhere, then sleeps with him at night. He takes very good care of this one guy (usually Darth Vader).

An interesting part of Emil at four is his empathy for bad guys. He seems to understand the other side of every story. For instance, when reading This is Not My Hat, by Jon Klassen, Emil sides with the small fish who stole the hat from the larger fish on the grounds that the hat is small, thus fits the small fish better, so he feels the small fish deserves to have the hat, even when it belongs to the big fish. He does not like how the story ends, so we don’t read it anymore, despite all attempts to discuss what stealing means and why it’s wrong.

Emil is so thoughtful and generous, it sometimes breaks my heart. If he gets a snack, he immediately asks Oliver and Milo if they want some too. He shares everything happily, and has no trouble making friends because of this. He wants people to be happy and for things to be fair. Emil is also so tender and physical and loving. He can give a million kisses and hugs and still be ready to dole out more. He is all heart, that one.

Happy Birthday, my dear sweet Emil. May you always keep a bit of mischief in your life, and a kind and open heart to the world around you. Here’s to four!