On our way to go get snow cones, me, Audrey and Tucker walked out to the car. He always jumps in the front driver door and crawls over the console to his seat, while she gets in the passenger door because her car seat is by the window. Tucker is usually always racing and rushing to get where we are going, but on this particular day I stopped and smiled as I saw him jump down from the running board and open the car door for his cousin first. I was so proud to be his mother.
Tucker is one of those kids who just doesn’t slow down and think about things very often. He is always in a race to the finish line, so it was a pretty big step for him to stop and think and perform this kind act. In fact, it was just so sweet, I literally started crying when I told my mom a story about it later.
Later last week, my sister, my mom and the kids all went to the SA Aquarium. It is a really cool place–more like an aquarium/petting zoo/and arcade with jumping castles all-in-one. Of course, when someone asked Tucker what he saw at the aquarium, Tucker answered loud and clear–”there was a huge gift shop!” This is true.
My favorite event of the day was when we all stopped to talk to a parrot who was sitting up on stage greeting crowds as they came along. He was up there on his perch saying “Hello”–”Hello”–”Pretty bird” and things like that calmly when Tucker came along. Tucker wanted to talk to the parrot too, but not in English. Tucker started making his high-pitched bird like shrieks, and that Parrot just stared at him for a minute. I’d like to know what that parrot was thinking. He stared right at Tucker for a few seconds before he surprised us and answered Tucker’s calls–loud and clear–with a shriek so loud we could hardly stand it. That parrot was mimicking Tucker in his own annoying way, with a much deeper and boastful croaking sound. Tucker was of course very amused and I’m sure their conversation could have carried on forever, but my ears could only take that shriek-fest so long! Thankfully the fish in the next exhibit couldn’t talk back to us.
Parrots sure are entertaining animals. I don’t know what makes us so infatuated with hearing them repeat us, but even us adults we are indeed drawn to it and can’t resist it. But no one was as thrilled as Tucker! I’ve never seen a parrot so engaged in conversation–if you can call it that!