Max--the boy who wants to be heard

If you want to make Max really mad, interrupt him. He hates it--and he makes sure you know it. Between an older brother who knows a lot and a little sister who screeches a lot, it's no wonder he's passionate about being heard. In fact, in frustration one day, he decided that the best way to avoid inadvertent interruption was to have a rule that no one was allowed to talk for a whole minute after he stopped speaking. Crazily enough the rest of the family chose not to ratify the rule.

Because I know it's such a sensitive issue for him, I try to let him speak and be heard as often as possible. When I do stop and really listen, he never disappoints. So much of what I love about what Max says is how he says it, so these anecdotes do him no justice. I just hope they will be enough for me to remember my funny little boy.

A couple weeks ago we stopped at Arby's for lunch, and, while simultaneously eating his sandwich and dangling roast beef from his mouth, he said, "How do they make meat?"

I wasn't sure how to answer this question exactly, considering the fact that we drive by cows multiple times a day and even have names for our "regulars". I decided to go with cold, hard truth and told him that they don't "make" meat, but instead roast beef is, in fact, just cow meat. He paused for a moment and said, "They only kill the bad cows, right? Not the good ones that give us milk?"

"Yep."

"Yeah...I know the bad ones. They don't give us milk...they just spill it."

The other day we were driving home from dropping Reed off at school, and I noticed Max was deep in thought as he looked out the window. When I asked what he was thinking about, he said, "I was just thinking about getting a goat." When I asked why he wanted a goat, he said, "Oh...you know...so they could eat all our trash. And when Ruby's clothes get too small we can give them to the goat...because they even eat clothes!! (wide eyes and raised eye brows like only Max can do.) And I really want to see a goat eat clothes. So, can we please get a goat?"

Max telling me about one of his "super animals".




Uh oh...looks like someone might be thinking about interrupting him...


It was a close one, but he successfully finishes his presentation and looks pretty satisfied.


Wow...that is a lot of expression for one little drawing. I love this boy.

At family home evening this week we all went around and said one thing we loved about every member of our family. When it got to Max, he said about me, "When I wake up in the morning, and I see your face, I just automatically like it...I don't know even why...I just do." Thanks, Max. It's nice to know I have at least one fan. I automatically like you, too.