What tired looks like around here

My child is hyper-active. I mean really, really hyper-active. I often tell friends, play date Mommy's and family members this and I get the impression that they are sort of doing an eye roll towards me inside their head. I get the "Well all kids this age are active" comment a lot - the sort of comment to mask what they really want to say, which is "Clearly you just didn't have a clue what a year and a half old would be like."

Hmmm...actually I did and he is nothing like your kid. How do I know this? Because I have heard you tell me how your kid was so tired they passed out in their stroller on the beach, in their high chair, just laid down on the rug in front of the TV and took a 45 minute nap. Because I have seen your child get tired and ask to be put in your lap, where they sit for 30 minutes, just observing the world around them. I have watched your kid take a popsicle, sit down in a quiet place and eat it. What was my kid doing in those 10 minutes? He was alternating between eating the popsicle and putting rocks in his mouth. He jumped in your kiddy pool and soaked himself. He climbed your deck steps 7 times. Then, when he finished his popsicle, he took the stick and attempted to poke your quietly sitting kid's eyes out with it.

My child has NEVER gotten tired and fallen asleep in his stroller (well not since he was at least 8 months), passed out in front of the TV or his high chair. He is non-stop motion from the minute he gets up until he goes to bed at night (except those ever so brief naps in the early afternoon). We don't read before bed - it's a waste of time. Joseph just gets angry that we are attempting to restrain him on the couch. Instead, we watch while he runs around in circles in the den, falling down and laughing hysterically. We watch him while he takes a plastic bat and whacks the crap out of our throw pillows. We literally take him to his crib at night with his wiley little legs kicking and his little hands grabbing for every possible item he can reach on the way in.

And if you don't believe me, here is a little video proof. This was taken just after his bath, about 20 minutes before bedtime.

Yup, that is how my child acts when he is tired. He kicks the crap out of his father while making insane sound effects. If you still don't believe me that he is hyper-active, you are welcome to come spend a day with me.