Samson Davis, Jr.

As Samson hurtles toward two, with all the concomitant quirks of this developmental stage, he's really started asserting himself.

Put another way, we get a lot of "no" in our house these days.

Which is obviously normal---and sometimes quite funny.

He's also developed a sound for when he's frustrated. It's kind of an "oew" sound and usually includes him swinging his arms, and occasionally hitting something, or someone. [Despite my continued assertions to the contrary, apparently we do hit people in our house. More accurately, one of us (hint: it's not me or Vicki) hits people in our house. It's a work in progress.]

In any event, his little "oew" sound is sort of like the sound Sammy Davis, Jr. used to make when he was, well, doing whatever it was that SDJ did. (Riffing? Scatting?)

In any event, the sound makes me laugh. Which, in turn, tends to frustrate Samson even more [see: hitting, above].

Is there a solution in sight?

Well, calendrically speaking, he'll be three in just 16 more months. And we could always teach him the lyrics to "The Candyman." It would be a much better outlet for his frustrations than hitting.

Of course, we'd have to de-program him before sending him out into the world.

I mean, I definitely don't want Samson to be that guy in high school who hits people. I always (quietly) hated that guy.

At the same time, I don't want him to be that guy in college whose computer just crashed and is overheard in his dorm room singing: "Who can take a sunrise? Sprinkle it with dew. Cover it in chocolate and a miracle or two..."