Some good news for ya

Suddenly things are just nicer around here. "I think Joseph is turning a corner," Nephi said the other day, and I had to agree. Since returning home, he is just a delight to be with, as opposed to before when, uh, he generally wasn't. My friend Sherri, who is in the process of raising six kids and would know, told me that kids spiral developmentally upwards, and one side of the spiral is good, when they feel secure and stable and comfortable with their limits and developmental level, then they progress and everything goes out of whack again. Based on my few years of experience here, I'm inclined to agree, and to enjoy this side of the spiral for however long it lasts. Joseph's now fun to talk with about airplanes and animals and my white exercise shoes and anything else that's on his mind, he generally shares his toys and is helpful and kind to Caleb, and can almost be reasoned with. Let me tell you it is no small relief to discover that we haven't done some irreperable damage to his personality by some dreadful parenting mistake, as it seemed awhile ago. And one of the funnier things he's picked up (I think from one of his nursery teachers at church) is the habit of using "ya" whenever he's feeling pal-sy. "I want to show ya something!" "I got this for ya!" "Where are ya?" So we're just letting the good times roll.