My son is a what???

I have four kids, all of them very different from each other. My third one, Jacob, who is 7, is by far the most precocious of them all- He does things my first two never even *thought* of doing!

Though always entertaining, Jacob requires a lot of energy. While my other kids were happy to sit and read, play on the computer, or do puzzles at that age, Jacob is much more of an imaginary-play kind of kid...

When he was into Avatar, he WAS the Avatar.

When he was into policemen, he carried handcuffs, a notebook, and a gun (all attached to his belt), and "arrested" people- even strangers, if they let him, for "breaking the law" (and they usually did). If they resisted, he wrote them a ticket.

When he was into wrestling, he BECAME a wrestler- "The Jaker Taker." Even his posture changed during that phase- Stomach in, chest out, arms out away from him body a little bit (to show off his muscles?). The wrestling phase lasted an exhausting year and a half!

Finally, he has entered a new, Star Wars phase. Everything is a light saber. He wants to meet George Lucas. He even found a light saber app on my phone, so he can be a real Jedi (there's an app for that).

After talking about Jacob to a friend recently, I have a whole new take on my little Jedi.

She had to put her family dog down recently, and is researching dog breeds to find a new one.

"Jacob is a worker dog," she told me.

"A what?"

"A worker dog. Some dogs are lap dogs, some are watch dogs, some are hunting dogs. Jacob is a worker dog."

I laughed an rolled my eyes at first, but couldn't stop thinking about that idea. While lap dogs are content to sit quietly next to their owners, and service dogs perform stunts or tasks on command, worker dogs (and kids like Jacob :) ) have to be constantly entertained, either with games or tasks. In return, they are a source of constant entertainment.

And that he is. There is never a dull moment with Jacob around. Never. Whether he is engrossed in his current phase, researching U.S. presidents (his current interest), or helping me in the kitchen, Jacob is always full of energy, and a constant source of "Jacobisms" as I like to call them... You never know what that boy is going to say!

While she said it as an off the cuff comment, I think my friend's "working dog" label is very fitting. And in a way, helps me to understand him a little better. I've got to keep him busy. While he thankfully won't start chasing his tail or chewing the furniture when he's bored, I don't want that boundless energy to go to waste.

I think I'll go set up a task list for my little worker, to keep him occupied during the last month of summer. I'll let you know how that goes :)