Every so often—maybe couple of days, my son will start copying me—everything I do. He used to do this to his sister, driving her crazy, but now he does it to me. It may be a joke, but I figure he’s trying me on for size—just to see what it’s like to be someone much older, who is also male.
He’s ten years old, and it’s kind of cute, but I also do feel a bit flattered. Like he’s seeing what it’s like to be me and he wants to be me. So that thought does go through my head: “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
Of course, I don’t know what is going through his head, but yesterday, he called upstairs (on an intercom) to ask me if I would like him to bring something up for me to eat or drink. I believe he did this of his own volition (not at my wife’s suggestion). In any case, I’m amazed. He tried very hard, and I appreciate the effort.
So, I wonder, maybe he really does want to be like me? He is being so nice to me, when sometimes his older sister is more than a bit of a pain (she’s 14) these days. Whether true or not, I feel like the idea that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery is true. It comes from a genuine place, not a calculated place. It is really very sweet, even if, on the surface, it looks like he’s just being annoying.