Just a small morning conversation with a three year old boy

Yesterday during a very long shopping trip I picked up a donut for little Abe. He always gets to choose which donut he wants (this happens about twice a month when he gets to go to the grocery store with momma). He chose a plain cake donut with white frosting, no sprinkles. I actually prefer he get sprinkles because frosting with out is SO messy.

Generally we pick out our donut, shop, check out, he rides the penny pony, and then on our way out of the store and during the drive home we share the donut. It's amazing how long we make one donut last. Well yesterday's shopping trip was a bit more exhausting than normal so I let him have a quarter of the donut while we were in the check out lane.

My kiddo was incredibly friendly and talkative until practically the day he turned three. It's as if all of the sudden he realizes people can see him. He tend to bury his face in me when we're out and about and strangers talk to him. Maybe he just realized that all these friendly folks saying hi to him or telling me he's so cute are "strangers." I imagine before two he must have thought we just know everyone. Anyhow, it's strange to me having had a very friendly kid and now having such a shy boy. Ah, the stages of childhood : ) I really love it all!

I've talked to him on many occasions about how it's kind to say hi to nice people when he's with me. They just want to be friendly. It makes them feel a little sad when you hide your face from them, like maybe they think you don't like them. Gee, there's some sort of weird strange balance these days between being nice to strangers and not talking to strangers, isn't there?

Little Abe had just finished eating his sticky donut quarter yesterday and he was sitting there with white frosting all over his fingers, holding his hands out at his sides trying not to get stick all over the cart he was sitting in when an older couple walked up behind us to place their groceries on the belt. The lady said hi to him while I was finishing up putting my last items on the belt. He whipped his head backwards trying to turn invisible but she could still see him (duh). Then she stood closer to him to play a peek-a-boo of sorts. I said hi to the couple and explained that he's quite shy lately. They said, "oh, he really is shy, isn't he." I think he scowled at her when his neck started to hurt from turning his head so far backwards for so long and he tried to look forward again and she was still standing right there trying to get him to smile. (great my kid is scowling at people now (um, just like I did as a child))

This morning pretty out of the blue my kiddo brings up his shy episode in the checkout lane yesterday:

Him: Mom, I'm going to tell you a story. This is a lie. Yesterday, I was so shy because my fingers were sticky, yucky, like all over.
Me: So, you didn't want to talk to the nice couple because you were embarrassed about the frosting all over your fingers.
Him: Yes, exactly! Next time when I do not have sticky fingers I will say hi to the nice people. Is that a plan, okay?
Me: Well, that makes perfect sense, thanks for telling me. Next time we'll wait to eat our donut.
(I did not have any wipes on me for his hands)

Now notice, he prefaces his story, with, this is a story, this is a lie. So, did he just make up a story so that I would understand why he's shy, I mean for my sake, when really he is just shy and doesn't want to talk to strangers, or was he really embarrassed that there was frosting all over his hands? Honestly since he turned three he's refused to talk to (or look at) people in the grocery store that try to talk to him. This was in no way an isolated incident. My kid! He is so awesome and is starting to be quite the enigma. I'm not actually looking for insight here, just sharing a bit of my morning's content. We're going outside now. There is a very big world out there for him to tackle, and a backyard filled with worms!
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Upon arriving home from work Friday:
him: mom, do you have something for me?
me: no, not unless you want some ham?
him: did you kill some piggies today?
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After I threw him a baseball in the living room and he hit the darn thing with a bat full force across the room:
me: GEE, you really hit that thing! I was not expecting that.
him: see, I told you! I'm a naturalist base baller. I told you!
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Discussing our dog today:
him: Bozzy is a boy. Bozzy needs to leave the house, go outside now. Bozzy needs to go to work and leave now because Daddy is at work and Daddy is a boy and Bozzy is a boy. Bozzy, go away now!
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The other day my husband was talking about a deadline, something to do with Amazon shipping:
him:  "Wait!?! Daddy, did you say dead lion... like in the Lion King?"