July 1, 2007
Eye of the Beholder
Our first spring in The Netherlands was a wonder to behold, perhaps because our first winter here was such a misery to endure. After 12 years in the Arizona sun, the initiation to real winter was difficult. Nevertheless, when spring approached it was so welcome a thing we all found ourselves feeling refreshed, deeply alive and awake.
It so happens that the season coincided with the advent of Andrew-speech. Our soon to be three year old (growth and language delayed) began to speak that spring. Not only did he speak, but he also began to assert his opinion about things. Gone were the days of guessing at what was on his mind. He developed words and with his words a small amount of attitude. An ‘I will do it my way‘ attitude, which we had not seen before. That didn’t put me off in the least and I chalked it up to the idea that spring had brought us so many nice surprises.
As the temperatures began to climb, and the sun began to shine more readily, Andrew decided that the one most crucial piece of clothing when he went outdoors to play was a ratty old knit cap. It became an absolute favorite and he literally would not leave the house without it. Here I must insert that I spent the whole of the winter season begging him to wear a hat. A hat, which would keep his head warm, and his ears protected from the relentless winds of Holland. Andrew adamantly refused my request the entire season and most often, I was holding his hat in my hand.
However, I digress.
The spring hat was a knitted tube cap. It was tattered and had a faded #5 printed in white on the front panel. It was blue in color, a hue somewhere between sky blue and turquoise. Andrew called the hat “purple”. He wore it pulled snugly around his ears and pulled low on his forehead, nearly covering his eyes. In fact, he pulled the cap so low it was necessary to tilt his head backward at an angle just to see where he was going. The sight of Andrew with his cap pulled low over his eyes caused the Dutch Omas on the bus to cluck and fuss at him, sometimes a concerned grandma even reached out to lift the cap an inch or two above his eyes. To which he would respond with a defiant grunt and immediately shrug it back into place.
This is the kind of ‘tude I’m talkin’ ‘bout.
Our departure ritual before leaving the house included his chant: “coat on, cap on” as he placed his arms into his ‘doggie coat’, a green fleece jacket with a weenie dog appliqué on the front. When the jacket was zipped, he would then dive into the basket in the front hall to look for his hat. Although a delightful little cap, which incidentally matched the jacket, was available, he vehemently refused my offer of that ensemble piece and boldly declared “NO! Purple”. We then would dig through the box and unearth the favorite cap. From there a daily discussion over the actual color of the hat, which indeed is blue, occurred. Though I explained and clarified its color dozens—nay, hundreds—of times Andrew persisted. “Purple” he said. Therefore, “purple” it was.
Flash forward to a gorgeous spring day in May. We ventured off for a tour of the beautiful Keukenhof Gardens. We spent hours among the flowers, admiring the fields of tulips and hyacinth and leisurely strolling through the immaculate, vibrant beds of color in the park. As we came across a garden filled with hyacinth in the most amazing purple I had ever seen, my husband engaged Andrew in a conversation about the flowers. It seemed perhaps a good visual demonstration to show our headstrong toddler the difference between blue and purple. I imagined he was thinking this could be the end of the color confusion.
Don crouched down next to Andrew who was next to the flowers.
“Hey, look Andrew, these flowers are purple.”
“Purple,” Andrew repeated.
“Now look at your hat. Your hat is blue,” he said as he delicately lifted the cap from Andrew’s crown.
Silence from Andrew.
“You see Andrew,” Don said. “Your hat is BLUE and the flowers are PURPLE. They are not the same color at all.”
“Blue,” Andrew said.
“Excellent,” said his daddy.
At this point, I could not resist and just had to join the conversation. I tossed in my question.
“So Andrew, what color is your hat?”
“Purple,” he said.
Then without another word, he snatched the hat from Don’s hand, rose to his feet and galloped to the next flowerbed. Then he put the cap back on, pulling it snugly over his ears, across his forehead and down over his eyes.
Andrew’s adoring Mama is Jenn in Holland who blogs daily about Andrew, his two siblings, his daddy and a whole bunch of other things over at Something to Say: About Life in The Netherlands. If you are curious about what Dana has to say today, you can find her across the ocean at Jenn’s place.
Jenn and Dana have swapped places today as part of The Blog Exchange. Visit TBE for links to others who are trading places and sharing stories. Jenn wants to share with Dana a heartfelt Dank je wel for her gracious hosting and help with this endeavor. Also big thanks to Andrew who provides lots of fodder for her blog!
Bedankt en Tot ziens.
Posted by Dana @ 6:35 AM • Blog Exchange
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July 1st, 2007 at 7:31 AM, Alex Elliot Says:
I can totally picture that conversation! Great story! As you know, my son insists on wearing a ratty dish towel on his head.
July 1st, 2007 at 7:53 AM, Fourier.Analyst Says:
What a lovely Andrew-story, not that they aren’t all cute. Funny how that terrible-two stubbornness lasts about 5 years. And seems to rear up again during the teens!
July 1st, 2007 at 8:45 AM, a happier girl Says:
Seriously, how cute is that little fleece coat?
July 1st, 2007 at 8:52 AM, Ambassador Says:
Jenn, I bet my mom would tell you similar stories of stubbornness on my part at Andrew’s age – she called me her “little free thinker” for years! Thank you for another wonderful post, you lovely! Ken
July 1st, 2007 at 9:38 AM, Jennifer Says:
What a cute story! My Kyra has a favorite hat too. It is a pink polka dot rain cap. She looks cool in it though. We haven’t got the jacket part yet, but it will probably be bought specifically to match this hat. LOL..
July 1st, 2007 at 9:42 AM, Cori Says:
A wonderful story, as I was reading I was so hoping we were going to see a picture of that “Purple”.
July 1st, 2007 at 10:09 AM, mommy the maid Says:
What a great story! They say that two year old stubborn attitude goes away, but i don’t think it does. Miss Turtle is 8 and still has it.
July 1st, 2007 at 11:30 AM, jodi Says:
lovely post, as always Jenn, and adorable story!
July 1st, 2007 at 11:46 AM, Dana Says:
I love the coat he’s wearing with the pup on it. I think that is just too adorable!
Jenn, thanks for being my partner today! Your story is wonderful!
July 1st, 2007 at 3:27 PM, Soccer Mom in Denial Says:
My 3-year-old is calling her bathing suit a “babing suit” and no amount of correcting is going to get her to call it anything else. Great story Jenn.
July 1st, 2007 at 9:54 PM, Heather Says:
My kids both went through a stage where everything was BLUE.
That photo is priceless.
July 2nd, 2007 at 9:16 AM, Damselfly Says:
So cute! And your words actually transported me there ….
July 2nd, 2007 at 9:21 AM, jenn in holland Says:
Thanks to all of you for the great comments. I really appreciate each one.
That ‘doggie coat’ is dang cute, isn’t it? And you should see it with the hat that goes with it! I can’t show you because I have NO pictures of the boy in the whole ensemble. But trust me, it’s the best. It’s almost time to pass it along. Interested? We’ll talk terms…
The “purple” hat on the other hand is staying with us forever. Wonder if I can mount that in a scrapbook?
July 2nd, 2007 at 10:14 PM, RLGelber Says:
That coat is adorable. You could shadowbox the hat with that pic. It would be a great memento.
July 3rd, 2007 at 3:31 AM, Lady M Says:
I love this story!
Ever since we saw a lion dance during a Lunar New Year parade, I’ve been trying to convince Q that a “parade” is different from a lion dance, but I’m losing the argument.
July 4th, 2007 at 9:04 AM, Nadine Says:
Ha, how funny. I thought: “I didn’t know Dana lived in my country!” And than I read the entire thing and found out Jenn wrote it. I have to check her blog!
July 4th, 2007 at 9:39 AM, Leslie Says:
Adorable story, Jenn. Your Andrew is precious!