Oh, How We Do Have Fun

Max has managed, somehow, to enter into his most interesting, fun, exciting, charming phase lately, while simultaneously becoming his most challenging, defiant, claiming-of-authority-he-does-not-really-possess-ish self. I realize that these two phases seem to contradict one another -- how can you be your most charming and most defiant at the same time? -- but Max is apparently able to keep a lot of emotional balls in the air. Everything that I say lately gets contradicted. Everything. ("I love you, Max." "But you do not love me." "Please come over here, Max." "But I am not going to come over there." "What do you want for breakfast, Max?" "But I am not going to eat breakfast." and etc.) It really, really, really, really, a lot, I am not kidding, bugs. Just when I am online ordering the pamphlets for the state's top-rated boarding schools, however, he will creep over to me, all giant, dewy eyes and clasped hands, and say, "Can you please play with me, Mama? You are my best friend." And he is so funny and winsome and creative and loving that I inevitably decide to keep him, even if he would be saying, "But I am not funny and winsome and creative and loving and I do not want you to keep me" if he could read what I was writing right now.