Diggers

My Eldest son likes diggers.

A lot.

He also likes trucks, Nee Nars (that's fire engines) ambulances, police cars, helicopters, planes, trains, motorbikes, bin lorries (but that's a whole other post) tractors and pretty much all ride on vehicles, especially ones that do stuff as well as go.

He hates lawn mowers though, really really hates them a lot to the point of hysteria, apart from his own bubble making lawn mower. But this is not my point.

He finds all vehicles enchanting.
Captivating.
He is hypnotised by their flashing lights and by the beep beeping they omit when reversing.

Getting him settled in to the family car can take a lot of persuasion. Baby seats are for, you know, babies. He'll always try to get behind the steering wheel and his face becomes a beautiful mix of concentration and delight as he shouts "brrrrrrmmmmmmmmmm!" as loudly as he can.

And he's already a bit of a car snob. He much prefers driving Daddy's car to Mummy's. (Daddy's car has a telly in it so who can blame him?)

Eldest son thinks that everyone shares his interest in machines. Especially me. He insists on pointing out ALL vehicles we see whilst walking together. This will go something like this.

"Mummy! Mummy! Mummy! Ooohhhhh! Mummy! Oooooh! Car!"

He will repeat this until I acknowledge him and confirm that I too have seen the car. As soon as I have done this he is free to move on to the next machine.

"Mummy! Mummy! Mummy! Ooohhhhh! Mummy! Oooooh! Bike! !"

It's exhausting.
And I am ashamed to admit, that on occasion this can make me more than a little sarcastic.
My gorgeous 2 year old will be squealing happily about a bus he's spotted and I will respond. "A bus? You are kidding me, right? An actual real life bus? What here? On the busy street outside the bus station? That is mental! Hang on a second! Not another bus?" etc etc etc.

I get withering looks from non parents a lot.

He loves trains and talks wistfully about the fun-times he's had on the tube. He also waves his arms and says "Woo wooo!" if a train gets mentioned.

But his one true love really is for diggers.

He goes nuts.

For months now a team of workmen have consistently been within about half a mile of our home or thereabouts, digging up various bits of road.
For a while they could be seen from his bedroom window!
Before my son was here this would've be very annoying and dusty and disruptive. Now he's with us it's like living in Disneyland. Only the characters smoke rollies, eat crisps and shout swears at each other. My 2 year old waves manically at any utility vehicle he spots (and planes and helicopters now I think of it) and shout's a greeting at it like "Hi! Hi! Digger! Hi! Hi! Digger!"

Turns out that his enthusiasm is infectious.

My husband and I both shout out Nee Nar! if we see a fire engine and we think Eldest hasn't.

But it's much deeper than that.

I think I care about UVs as much as he does.

I too get excited when I see on on the horizon/up the road. And more than once I have excitedly waved and called out a hello to a digger or a forklift. When I've been alone.

I'll miss those guys when they finish whatever it is they are doing. Not sure it's appropriate to suggest we all go out one night though?

Maybe we could be friends on Facebook?