Alex

Alex, oh Alex. I love Alex. To be honest, I adore Alex. He has such a big, fun personality and he's hilarious. He really is. I'm probably too soft on him because I have such a sweet spot for him. Therefore, it's my own doing when he doesn't listen to me. I know this, and I am working pretty hard to change it.
Today when I picked Alex up from school (wearing his winter hat in a way that made his ears stick out), he literally jumped up and down when he saw me. Isabel was asleep in the car, and Alex climbed into his seat and pretended to sleep immediately. So he's sitting there with his eyes closed and a big smile on his face (because he thinks he's pulling one over on me) as I talked to Reid, the little boy we carpool with. Alex suddenly awoke when our conversation got interesting, after all he wanted to talk about the song that he sang in school today too! After we dropped Reid off, Alex got out of his car seat and into the booster that Reid was riding in, despite my telling him not to. I scolded him, but didn't yell because Izzy was sleeping. Sometimes scolding seems effective, and I think that he genuinely wants to be a good boy, but today he wasn't too bothered by what I was saying. We pulled into the garage and immediately Alex was out of his seat and Isabel was awake. I asked him if he woke her up (a major no-no) and he denied it. I asked if he was lying and he said he wasn't. I made him look me in the eyes and answer me. And I had no idea if he told me the truth, and no proof either way. In reality, she would have woken up shortly because the car wasn't moving, but I really wanted to know if he was being honest and I was really frustrated. Alex knew I was angry and he cried.
So we made our way into the house; Alex insisting that he didn't lie and he didn't wake Isabel, me frustrated that I didn't know if I was letting him get away with naughty behavior or not. Once inside, I was busy putting things away and Alex and Iz were playing. When I started to listen to what he was saying, I realized that he had just taken off Isabel's shoes and put them away, and he was in the process of putting her vest on the hook with his own. Not only had he put his things away like he's supposed to, but he also took care of his little sister.
And this is why I struggle with Alex. One minute he's being a little shit and I'm mad at him, the next he's being a total sweetheart and I just love to see that side of him.