Teach Me To Walk

Freestone is Pat Morita to Ptolemy's Ralph Macchio. Wax on, wax off...wax on, wax off. Freestone doesn't know karate, or how to trap a fly with chopsticks, but he is teaching Ptolemy some other valuable lessons, and he is not taking his role as sensei lightly. Freestone made his student a "thermometer" chart to mark off all the times he practices crawling. When crawling became easier for Tolly, Free started getting up every morning and laboriously dragging the little guy around by his armpits, teaching him how to walk.

He has explained how to swim, how to put on his goggles, how to play the violin, how to play the Wii, how to throw a baseball.  Everything Freestone does, he seems to do it for Ptolemy.  All of his violin songs have lyrics like "Tolly Boy!  Tolly Boy!  Freestone's little Ptolemy!"  Or "Go te-ell Tolly, go tell Ptolemy!"  His homework said, "I have a baby brother.  He is very cute.  I play with him every day.  His name is Ptolemy.  I want to teach him Wii.  I am teaching him to walk."

Free was very cognizant of Mothers' Day yesterday.  First thing in the morning, he brought me a carefully wrapped gift.  It was his soccer trophy.  Later, he gave me the cookbook (from my cupboard) that has his favorite gingerbread recipe in it.  But the best gift he gave me was a statement.  "Mom, I have to tell you something."  He waited for me to look him in the eye and said, "Thank you for Ptolemy."  For a little boy with so much fight and bravado, he sure has a tender heart.