Mad Little Monkey

M. and I watched Ape Genius on Nova last night. If anyone reading this has a chance to see it, it was quite fascinating. The show has also introduced the term "monkey chow" into our vocabulary, for better or worse. Anyway, the show drew the connection between toddlers and apes, with the conclusion that apes might just be a tad more advanced than the toddlers.

He he.

And the mad monkeys looked a little like Finn when he's tired and you take something away. The teeth come out and his head dips toward some tender fleshy part of your arm.

That's our mad little monkey.

In a way it makes me feel better to know that toddlers are impulsive, want-driven, selfish creatures whose wrath will turn on whoever or whatever gets in their way. That way I don't expect much more than ape-level behavior out of them, and if we know toddler-Finn's behavior is primitive, M. and I can adjust our interactions to reflect that reality.

I am more and more convinced, perhaps naively, that we can make it through toddlerhood. A brave statement considering that we don't really have one yet.

In the meantime, what do mad little monkeys eat? Why they eat monkey chow. If I work hard at this I can get Finn to ask for monkey chow when he wants to nurse. MONKEY CHOW!!!!