Ishu and I took advantage of the break in the rain yesterday and went to the park.

The park we like to go to is about a mile away and if it were up to Ishu, he’d walk the entire way. I let him out of the stroller when we were in a quieter area. But, still, there were cars. So I was trying to emphasize that we walk on the sidewalk only.

“Ishu wok thy-wok” (Ishu walk on sidewalk), he says.

He walked and then looked up at me and then inched over toward the grass.

I said, “Okay, yes, we can also walk on the grass. But only on the sidewalk or the grass.”

I kept pushing the stroller on the sidewalk while he opted for the grass.

He pointed at the stroller and said, “Mama wok thy-wok, Ishu wok gaaath” (Mama walks on sidewalk, Ishu walks on grass).

He then shuffled over to the sidewalk.

“Ishu’s on the sidewalk now!” I said.

He shuffled back over to the grass

“Ishu’s walking on the grass now!” I said.

We did a few rounds of this before he stopped and set one foot on the sidewalk and one foot on the grass. He looked up at me and laughed. As if he had somehow managed to trick me.

Yes, little monkey.

You cracked the code.

I can’t wait, wait, wait to see what things you continue to question with your curious, growing, brilliant little brain. The loopholes you find, the boundaries you try to push. It’ll be hard for mama and papa, but also so fun to watch you navigate it all.