Mini Maestro

I've lived in the same apartment for a few years now. When I first moved in, I noticed one Summer day, windows open, kitchen door ajar, that the neighbors perpendicular had a baby. I noticed because this baby seemed to really enjoy screaming his head off. Well, as it goes, the hot Summer is followed by a cold Winter. A Winter spent indoors sound-proofed by plasticed windows.

Alas, Spring arrives as does a now gurgling and by the end of Summer cooing and murmuring toddler. Again, quiet Winter, quiet, quiet Winter. Next Spring baby boy's started to talk, "Mooma, CAN I HAVE MORE....please." He's a pudgy, little thing with a halo of yellow curls.

Last I'd heard, before the frost, he'd picked-up an interest in, what I like to call, music. Initailly, I found it sort of charming. He had some sort of tot-xylophone that he loved to pound and he made up songs that he would sing over-and-over. Nick and I would sing them too sometimes, they were really pretty catchy.

Well, it's now warming up again and mon petit neighbor is spending more and more time on his back porch. Only now, and I mean right now, he's, to put it politely, into percusion. He's presently POUNDING and yelping, "Da-dd-y. DA-DD-Y! BE QUIET!" He pounds on any and everything he can get his hands on and in an almost truly gifted way he uses the whole wooden porch as an instrument.

Now, I suppose, I truly appreciate the musical progeny next door, but yesterday, when I took the morning off of work because I was exhausted, with a pounding headache, laying in bed, I was woke up by the little monkey. He wasn't warbling in his little boy voice, not heavy-handedly playing his mini-xylophone, no he was pounding, pouNDING, POUNDING on EVERYTHING, including what felt like the inside of my head.

I'm curious where this musical progression will go, into which depths of the avant he will explore as the weather warms, but I am also left wondering about other things. I am wondering when my support of this mini-musician will turn into hatred. It appears as he grows, so does his tenacity. I mean when exactly will he become a menace? It's a fine line, friends. And ultimately, should I have to wear ear plugs at home?