I have the cutest little three-year-old student. You don't even understand. He is so adorable, and I work with young children for a living.

His mother is giving birth in 2 weeks (read: any day now) and so he is feeling a little bit usurped. He's heard about "new baby" a lot, but hasn't actually met the baby, so it's all a bit scary. Because of this, he's become a two-year-old. Two was a good age for him: his mother wasn't having a new baby, he was the baby, and life was awesome. If only he were still two. But wait... he can be!

Nathaniel, let's practice holding our bows!

"NO!"

Nathaniel, let's clap this rhythm!

"NO!"

Sometimes he sings little "no" songs to himself, dancing around my studio, and "vrooming" his toy truck around, a truck he keeps with him at all times, as if it's a security blanket in car form. I actually know some adult males with car security blankets, so I don't find his behaviour that unusual.

Today, I tried to get him to clap and say the Suzuki rhythm "Taka-taka Stop Stop" ("Mississippi Hot Dog" for you Americans). He wouldn't say it, but he had his own version, "No No No No NO NO!" which he said in perfect rhythm. Good enough, I say.

Whenever he doesn't want to do something, he says he's "too busy." Lol!! I don't think he actually knows what that means. To him, I think it just means "No, I won't do what you ask." I think if he asks his parents to do something, and they can't, they say, "Sorry, honey, we're too busy right now." A great, catch-all excuse, thinks Nathaniel. Why can't he use it in his lesson?

I love teaching, but it's really really tiring.