He's Three

Bantam3 has a new trick. Bantam13 taught him how to touch his index finger to his thumb so that three fingers remain standing up. (That’s the cool way for three-year-olds to indicate their age now, you know—the pinkie to thumb position is so yesterday.)

B3 loves this new sign, and he makes it whenever someone new speaks to him.

“What’s your name?”

B3 holds up three fingers. “Oh, you’re three, are you? Big boy!!” They forget all about asking his name.

“Hey, you, where’d you get that blonde hair?” someone might ask.

Deliberately the three fingers go up. I know you’re going to ask, they seem to say.

"What's going on here?" he might be asked.

Three, he says. Just three.

But the other night at dinner, he surprised us all. Mom, with a knowing glance at Bantam3, asked proudly, “Guess who set the table?”

Dad, picking up the cue, looked straight at B3, and asked, “Did YOU set the table?”

B3 looked down at his plate, while he considered for a moment how to respond. Then up came the right hand, down went the index finger, and on came the smile, his proud face shooting beams of pleasure through...three fingers!