Trying Time

We recently got El Shorto the seven year old his own alarm clock.  He wanted one, and we thought it would be a nice change from having to wake him up every school morning.  He wanted one because 1) he saw a Spiderman alarm clock that looked "AWESOME!", 2) he's been all about figuring out time lately, and 3) he thinks he wants to be a grown up.  Or at least a big-kid.  I keep explaining that growing up is not at all what it's cracked up to be, but he doesn't listen.  I'm the mom, so what would I know about anything, right?  Besides, I'm probably just plotting to keep all the coolness and amazingness that is grown-up-dom to myself.  Obviously. 

But we caved, and we got him a clock.  It has flashing lights.  It has a buzzer.  It has Spiderman.  And it has labeled hands.  What on earth could be better than this contraption?!  Why, continuing to ask incessantly, "Is it past noon yet?" at nine in the morning, of course.

Of course, being cooler than all get out in no way means that he'll actually wake up to it.  But he keeps trying every morning, or saying he's going to try each night before he goes to bed.  We've had similar luck with answering the "How many days until..." question by getting him a calendar.  Basically what I'm saying is that my kid is impervious to learning, at least when it comes to time. 

He's a smart kid; Dwight and I know it, his teacher knows it, and most people that spend much time with him know it (assuming they know how old he really is, which is far more difficult than one would think).  He's also stubborn and lazy and impatient.  It's a dangerous combination, I tell you what, and has created quite a bit of frustration in our household over the years. 

It's a funny thing, our perception of time.  I speak of El Shorto, because his difficulties with time are the most noticeable right now, but even us grown-ups have our own trouble with time.  It moves too slowly on Monday, and moves too fast as our children grow.  Or at least it does for me, but you may be totally different.  Maybe it's all the years of watching Doctor Who finally catching up and time-warping my mind and my genetics.  Whatever it is, the clock seems to hold little sway in Chez Me right now, and less so the more I focus on it, while time seems ever more subjective and fluid.  I just hope this spring comes quickly so El Shorto and I can relax a bit and pay less attention to the dreaded tick-tock.  With this fickle weather and and too-short days, how do your days fly (or crawl)?