Following Directions

I have to tell you this Nico story because he has this thing he does, and it kills me with cute every. damn. time. Maybe a month before Christmas, I took a quick spin through Goodwill and bought him a half-size farm-themed See 'n Say for the grand price of one dollar.

Nico knew how it was supposed to work, having one at Grandma's house, but he was completely unable to actually operate it. There were many incidents of rapidly escalating hand-flaps and whining as the toy repeatedly failed to play "The Farmer in the Dell" when told to do so by Nico's fearsome mind powers.

MB coached him with eternal, kind patience. He must've told our child, "Move the arrow so it points to the song, then pull the handle" at least a hundred times. Nico soon was doing exactly what he thought his father suggested -- moving the arrow at random, pointing emphatically to the musical notes sticker with his finger, and pulling the handle -- then getting really pissed when it still didn't work. We realized the problem because he narrates his life constantly and was saying, "Move arrow, point song" each time. So of course he was furious that it didn't work...he was following directions, dammit!

Even now, when he seems to have figured it out, he'll move the arrow to point to the musical notes, stab at the notes forcefully with his finger a few times, and then pull the handle. Every time. And it slays me, every time.