# 6 in the 'IN Love" series.
POV of Kenny Starsky, 2 1/2 years old and very smart.
Disclaimer; Just for fun. not for profit
I KNOW WHAT I KNOW
Hi! Permit me to introduce myself. My name is Kenneth Micah Starsky. I'm two and a half years old.
People don't understand two and a half year olds, not at all. They think we don't know what's going on, that we're only walking tantrums who care about nothing more than toys and bottles of juice.
Here's a secret. We know a lot more than you think.
Of course, so much of it depends upon your environment. You don't get a mental vocabulary and awareness like mine without some major support from those around you. I'm one of the lucky ones.
I live in a nice apartment with my mom and dad. Their names are Sivan and David. It's fun to be around them. They talk to me like I'm at least 6 years old. I mean, I'm rotten at politics - can't understand a word of it - and I'd be useless if there was a plumbing issue. But then, my dad would be too. We're only as good as our teachers at my time of life.
And they're extremely good at this cuddling business - they do it so much with each other that I'm very fortunate that there's more than plenty for me.
Let me tell you more about my parents.
My mom is named Sivan Morgenstern Starsky. They call her Sivvy. I call her Mama. She answers to both. She's really cute, at least that's the feedback I pick up. To me, she's just Mama. She takes such good care of me. I'm trying hard to help out and as a result I've completely toilet-trained myself. Nasty business. My Mama giggles a lot and she's excellent with kisses. Dada and I fight over those kisses, but it's in fun. As long as I get my fair share. ( I don't think Dada plays fair sometimes.) He makes loud, disgusting shmooshy noises when he kisses Mama and me.
Dada. Whoo boy. My dad is the best, best daddy any kid could hope for. Where to start? He makes up great games to play, with or without toys. He's got a head of curls that just beg a kid like me to grab on and ride him like a big hairy horse. He's strong and can lift me way over his head. Then he pretends he's going to drop me and that's fun. (Mama doesn't think it's so much fun.) Dada's a good tickler and he squirms like crazy when he's tickled back.
Dada is really furry and sometimes he puts me on his tummy, skin to skin, and that's real swell. He does that with Mama too, when they think I'm taking a nap. They do a lot of interesting things when they think I'm taking a nap. So I pretend to take naps often. Not sure what I'm seeing, exactly, but something tells me I should be filing it for future reference.
Dada and Mama have best friends. Ken and Becca Hutchinson are their names.
Becca is my Aunt Baba. She has red hair. I'm too young to be thinking this, but when I'm older and looking for someone to cuddle, I think I'm gonna head for a red-haired girl. Aunt Baba giggles as much as Mama does. It's a nice sound. She's nuts about me, which is great. She hugs me a lot. Her chest is very different from Dada's. It's as soft and squishy as Mama's. I'm only two and a half, but I already have some definite opinions and one of them is that I prefer women's chests.
No one calls Ken 'Ken'. They call him Hutch, because his last name is Hutchinson. Even Aunt Baba calls him Hutch. But to me he's my Uncle Huck and he's just the best male on the planet, next to my dad. He's my godfather and is absolutely goofy about me, which is as it should be. Uncle Huck is an awesome snuggler (I also scope out Uncle Huck and Aunt Baba when they're not looking. They act a lot like Dada and Mama).
But the best is when Uncle Huck 'snugs' with me. Oh boy. He's not soft and squishy, and he doesn't have hair on his chest, but there's no one better to cuddle against. On a hot day he's cool and smooth, and on a cold day he's comfy and warm. Man, am I lucky. Uncle Huck sings me to sleep and sings me awake. And just so you don't think I don't notice he has faults - think again. For instance, he's a horrible person to beg a snack from. I'll be thinking of one of Aunt Baba's Ring Dings or a mini-version of one of Dada's salami and pepper sandwiches. But Uncle Huck will slide his blender out and I'll have to resort to crying. A shameless ploy, but I've seen what goes into his protein shakes and heck - I'm just a little boy.
It's a wonderful circle of life to be a part of.
Even with Ollie and Davey.
Yep, around a year ago Aunt Baba and Uncle Huck drastically rearranged the picture with not one but two interlopers. Olivia Ava Hutchinson and David Conrad (DC) Hutchinson. I wasn't consulted beforehand. I was shocked that they'd left the hospital with us and showed up at the house, never to depart.
The grownups cleared the local bookstore of books on how to handle introducing li'l old me to this game-changing incident. Oh, don't worry:: after the initial shock I handled it like a trooper, if I do say so myself. But I didn't let them know, because of the perks.
"Will you help me with the babies, Kenny?" That's Aunt Baba. She's shrewd, all right. "We'll just give them their bottles and then you and I can share a Ring Ding."
I accept all bribes, by the way. If I play my cards right I can get a whole Ring Ding out of it, not just a halfie.
"Kenny, would you like a baby brother or sister of your very own?" That's Mama. 'No, Mama, if it's just the same to you.' Of course, I don't hint that out loud. I wouldn't do anything to make Mama sad. She's making a liar out of me, but for her I'll sin.
"Kenny, let's you and I just the two of us play trains." That's Dada, if you haven't guessed. This translates to 'I wanna play with your toys, Kenny, and especially with your trains. But Mama will laugh at me and Uncle Huck will make snarky comments. There IS my pride, ya know. My dignity"
Uncle Huck has read all those bookstore books twice. And memorized them. He and I have our own thing going. But not even that can top what goes on between my Dada and godfather.
Uncle Huck and Dada have this magical, mysterious business called Me and Thee. Even a two and a half year old (if he's smart) can grasp the logistics. And I , being the Son of Thee, automatically got a free pass to the Secret World of Hutch Love. It's better than Disneyland. As the story goes (repeated frequently after a few beers), Uncle Huck kinda kept years of love hidden and bottled up, then met Dada, then my Mama, then Aunt Baba (gloriously), then me (thank you), and all that love came barrelling out. By the time ol' Ollie and Davey came along they were smack in the middle of the lava stream of Hutch Love and just sucked it up like they're teething on Tootsie Roll pops.
And then there's me. Kenneth Micah Starsky. A chip off the old block. Everyone says so. It's a legacy I carry proudly. Dada is The Man. I am Son of The Man. Godson and Honorary Nephew of the Other Man. The kids in the playground either cluster to be at my side or give me a lot of headroom. .It's strange. When Mama and Auntie Baba take me to the park, sometimes a guy will ask them hopefully if they're the nannies. When Dada and Uncle Huck take me to the park, some of the women don't even ask.
The two curls I sprouted at birth have grown into a cluster of light brunette curlicues. I had my very first haircut the other day. A lollipop factored into my cooperation. Mama was as tough as old boots about it. Dada was the one that sniffled. Uncle Huck wasn't even allowed on the premises.
Mama and Becca insist that I've developed 'The Starsky Strut.' I'm a toddler, and when I walk I admit I kind of move with my hips and my (adorable, says Mama) tush.
She says my rear end in motion reminds her of Dada. Uncle Huck likes to give my butt a gentle pat while I'm maneuvering my way around. But he doesn't say my tush reminds him of Dada's. He says some other stuff that I'm not sure I understand, but it doesn't sound nice! I can't wait until I can really talk more than 20 words so that Uncle Huck and I can have good long discussions. I think he's got a lot of wisdom to pass on and I'm first in line to get it.
The end
