Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Naked Strike Update

Many people have asked me, "So how goes the Naked Strike?"

Well . . . it took me a while (six months to be precise), but we now have Semi-Naked Strike punctuated by moments of full dress. My solution (finally came to me about two weeks ago) was to get VERY creative.

Turns out Demon Baby has aspirations to be a Ninja.

So I bought him black fleece sweatpants with no tags (tags are a big no-no).

And black turtlenecks of all cotton (again, no tags).

And those are his Ninja outfits.

He will wear his Ninja clothes, commando (no underwear ever), punctuated by long stretches where he will wear his Ninja pants only, with no shirt, no matter how cold it is (as in picture in post below when my house's temperature was 62 and it was freezing outside). Socks are a no-go, so he's barefoot 24/7, even when I take him to church or the store.

At night, he still prefers to be naked, but I have convinced him that this ONE shirt he has (that is a hand-me-down from his brother) is protective Ninja nighttime armor. So he will wear THAT, with no underwear. It falls to his knees, so that's OK.

So it's now mostly a Semi-Naked Strike.

And my son is a Ninja.

It's a good thing I am a writer and creative.

15 comments:

Spy Scribbler said...

Okay, see, now that's awesome!

That's the one thing I can't do. Like, I could speak German (not much anymore) and English, but I couldn't translate. My brain understands a language in that language, not by mentally translating. Same with music. I'm either speaking music, or I'm speaking English. I can't translate.

So those wonderful teachers who can take a piece and make up a story that brings the whole thing alive for students? You'd think I would be able to do that, given that I'm a writer.

Nope. I try, but music is never a superficial story... it's a pure, emotional language for me, and I can never get a plot, because it's not that for me.

I love the ninja thing! That's awesome! I just sent you a Christmas card, bummer. I have these ninja stickers sitting right here, I coulda sent him a sheet!

Erica Orloff said...

Spy:
I never thought about it as making up a story for him, but in some ways, it is. Now that I think about it, I will say, before we leave the house, "You better wear shoes so if a dragon comes and we have to run across stones or pebbles to escape, your feet won't hurt." I totally go into his world and embellish his fantasies into what works to parent him. I've had to. He's a very, VERY different kid.

E

Jude Hardin said...

Maybe he just enjoys being the opposite of everyone else. Maybe if you and the other members of your household go naked all day, he'll want to wear clothes.

It's worth a try!

Edie Ramer said...

Erica, you are a great mom. Demon Baby is already a genius. I love the way he knows his mind -- and that you don't force him into a mold.

Erica Orloff said...

Jude:
I don't know that he wants to be different. As in teenagers who sometimes want to be different just to be different. I think "different" is just who he is. But I will take the family nudity idea under advisement. ;-)
E

Erica Orloff said...

Hi Edie:
From a Buddhist perspective eahc of my children is on their own unique journey and I am just a facilitator. I don't try to make them be one way or the other. With him, to be honest, it would be both futile and set us up for a lifelong argumentative dynamic that I definitely don't want.

E

Heather Harper said...

Why am I not subscribed to this feed!? Thought I was, but I was wrong. Will change that right now, because these are the stories that remind me what life is all about.

Kids are great. And your db is fantastic!

Erica Orloff said...

Thanks, Heather! Happy new year!
E

laughingwolf said...

good thing ma is still a tad smarter than db/nb [ninja boy] ;) lol

give him another 6 months,THEN you'll be in deep doodoo :O

Suzanne said...

Smart lady. It's all about keeping one step ahead and with him, that's a tough one, but you've mananged it. I love the Ninja idea. It's New Year's day here in New Zealand and a beautiful sunny day at that.
Happy New Year to you all.

Erica Orloff said...

laughing wolf:
I don't even know if I have that long.

E

Erica Orloff said...

HAPPY NEW YEAR, SUZANNE!!!! It's cold and windy here and I am safe inside with my Demon Baby, my parents, and my other wonderful children.
E

Robin said...

I love Demon Baby's world. It's so fun and fanciful. You're giving him a magical childhood. Yay!

Melanie Hooyenga said...

He's a deceptively cute ninja. :)

Sandra Cormier said...

Your child is an incarnation of mine at that age. No tags, smart mouth, impossible goals and several mini-heart attacks.