Ownership and Other Confusing Concepts.

Last week Rudolfo pulled me into his room and pointed to Dr. Jiggles's dresser. "Dr. Jiggles?"

"Yes," I replied, wondering what this was all about.

I was then dragged over to Rudolfo's dresser. "Rudolfo's?"

"Yes," still confused over this line of questioning.

Rudolfo then proceeded to open every drawer of his dresser and ask if the items inside were his. The same question was repeated 9 times. He has been putting his pajamas away in his second drawer down every other morning since we came home. He keeps his "treasures" in the top right drawer. I couldn't believe that he was only just now, 6 weeks home, processing the fact that all the clothes in there were his.

The concept of ownership was obviously missing from the start. It confused Rudolfo to no end. I completely understand the bewilderment. Imagine that nothing had ever been "yours" or "mine." Suddenly, you are told that the ipod belongs to Dr. Jiggles, so you must ask before you use it. The blanket belongs to Sweet One, so leave it in her room. The calculator is only for Ziggity. But, oh - that ice cream that you picked out at the grocery store? That belongs to everyone and we ALL get to eat it. How ridculous! (The sharing of a half gallon of ice cream and a 2 liter of ginger ale each caused a serious meltdown in this household... who woulda thunk?)

Seriously though-- think about it. The pillows on our beds belong to the person who sleeps on the bed. The pillows on the couch, though, are for all of us and must be shared. The apples in the fruit dish are a free-for-all, but once the apple juice lands in your cup, it becomes "yours" and shouldn't be shared. It really is a crazy and complex idea if it isn't something you've been exposed to since birth. The poor boy has been trying to define item by item what belongs to whom! He is definitely getting the idea, but still regularly asks about specific items. And the fact that he now seems to fully understand that his clothes are his and no one else's is definitely promising.