People person

I've mentioned before that Isaac has an interest in wheeled objects of all sorts. Whenever we go to the park he spends a lot of time sitting on the sidewalk outside the play area investigating other people's temporarily abandoned strollers, trikes, bikes, and so forth. (Meanwhile I have to reassure the worried three-year-olds who say to me, over and over, "That's my bike.")

The kid loves wheels. Although I think it's charming that, for example, he insists on crossing several playing fields just to take a closer look at the wheels on an ancient baseball field mower he's spotted moldering on the sidelines, I want my son to be interested in people, too. He doesn't have to be outgoing -- and with his parents I'll be surprised if he is! -- but I want him to be friendly, kind, and able to form meaningful human connections. I feel like girls are more typically raised to be socially and emotionally aware, so without being too didactic I'm trying to do the same with my boy. As a small example, we make sure to read him books on topics other than wheels. His favorites vary from week to week, but yes, they are usually on the subject of buses, trucks, cars, or construction equipment. However, over the past week he's developed an interest in a book he calls "baby." (That's another new word!)

The book is entitled Say Hi, Backpack Baby! (I like that the backpack is more like our mei tai). The simple plot is based entirely on human dynamics. Dad and Backpack Baby go for a walk, meet another father and his baby, and the children refuse to say "hi" or otherwise acknowledge each other until Backpack Baby notices the full moon. He says "hi" to the moon, the other baby says "hi" to the moon, and with this common interest the ice is broken. Everyone talks and laughs together until the fathers realize that it's gotten late, and it's time to say "bye."

There isn't a single wheel in the whole book, but Isaac loves it! I know this doesn't mean he's socialized -- he still shakes his head "no" whenever he meets a new person -- but it seems promising. Maybe he won't be one of those socially incompetent, emotionally stunted, mechanically obsessed engineers after all.