Patrick

Bumgarner world has gone well.  The kids are all loving school, Ava is now in the 2nd grade and Easton and Elle are on BeeBee Bus (a mobile Pre-K program). They all seem very happy with life and are staying active daily by helping me walk the dogs, running around constantly in our yard, and trying to get involved in sports. Ava and Elle are very close, like you would expect sisters to be. Easton and Elle are close, like you'd expect twins to be.  Even Ava and Easton get along well -- which is also expected as they are siblings. Sometimes my kids seem closer than other kids... I guess I never had siblings, so I don't understand, but they want to sleep in the same room, all sit together in every room of the house, and have to be cuddled up next to be like three little ticks.  They are quintessential besties --- three peas in a pod. 

THEN ALONG COMES PATRICK.

At first, I wasn't sure who Patrick was... he was introduced to me by my son. My son told me about his father, Patrick, who is a good man and needs to live in our home. At first I was alarmed. I even warned Terrence of Patrick, so Terrence didn't think I was leaving him for this "Patrick" man... and that for some reason, Easton just liked that name. Over the course of the week, Patrick has gone from a father, to a grandfather, and now he is a 4-year-old boy with a nevus under his left eye (just like Easton).  Easton is very taken with Patrick, staying up way past his bedtime to spin tales of this "unknown" man/boy.  Perplexed, I went through everything I know about children, trying to assign meaning to this phenomenon. I have a Masters Degree in Speech Pathology, surely there is a
diagnosis... right?

WELL...

Then I thought about it as Easton's mother and not as a developmental specialist.  I deducted that Easton has an imaginary friend! Now, I think this is kind of exciting. He has cognition to come up with this fellow... he has imagination that is beyond anything I've seen in my girls' development.  So we welcome Patrick..... at least... as long as Patrick stays out of trouble!