Sneaky = Smart

Yesterday when I picked Leo up at daycare his shirt was covered in dried yellow paint. I asked him if he’d done an art project.

One of his caregivers chimed in with the back-story. Leo had been on the potty and one of the caregivers had been going from the bathroom where Leo was to the room next door where a group of children were playing. She would check on Leo’s potty progress every few minutes. Each time she went to peek in on Leo he was crouched down, folded in half, but sitting quietly on the potty. The caregiver thought he was just sitting that way.

When she finally went to retrieve Leo from the potty and he sat upright, she realized why he’d been crouched down. He had snuck a bottle of yellow tempera paint form the art supply shelf (located next to the bathroom), unscrewed the cap and managed to cover himself with paint. The crouching was his way of hiding what he was up to.

I’ve always felt that Leo’s sense of humor (he loves to make people laugh and will go to great lengths to do so) is a sign of intelligence. In that same vein, I have to think that sneakiness (though perhaps not as appealing as a sense of humor) is a sign of smarts to. Just my brag for the day.

Thank goodness for the “heavily soiled” cycle on my washing machine.