Liberty flicked Sonny’s forehead.
“Sonny, what are you talking about?”
Sonny rubbed the spot where Liberty had flicked him and said to Duncan, “Uncle Lewis, it hurts a little from her flicking. Please blow on it.”
Duncan immediately blew on it a few times, touched it gently, and said to Liberty, “Liberty, stop flicking Sonny’s forehead. He’s so smart; you might make him dumb.”
“Being smart is one thing, and being dumb is another. How could he possibly become dumb from my playful flicks? Even if he doesn’t get any dumber, he’s already a bit slow.”
Duncan replied, “Sonny is smart, and he isn’t dumb.”
Sonny made a face at Liberty and quickly buried his head in Duncan’s arms.
Duncan was shielding him.
Duncan, who was fond of Sonny, eventually took him into the toy store.
Once inside, Sonny no longer needed Duncan to carry him. He slid down to the floor, picked up a few children’s drawing books, then walked back to Liberty, lifted his little face, and asked, “Mom, I’ve picked out the drawing books; can I buy more toys?”
Duncan wanted to buy them for Sonny, but Sonny still needed to ask Liberty for permission.
If Liberty insisted on not allowing him to buy new toys, then he wouldn’t get them.
Liberty replied, “You can only buy one toy. Take your time and choose the one you like best. You can’t have more than one.”
Sonny responded with an “Oh.”
He wanted to buy a few more, but since Liberty said he could only get one, he decided to pick the same one.
Sonny hurriedly selected his toy.
Duncan watched as Sonny touched one toy and then another, clearly wanting them all. He turned to his beloved and said, “Buy whatever Sonny likes, and I’ll get it for him.”
“Duncan, don’t spoil him by allowing him to choose more than one thing. He came here with toys in the first place.”
Liberty insisted on purchasing only one toy for Sonny.
Duncan felt obligated to respect Liberty’s wishes, despite his desire to buy everything Sonny wanted.
“Sonny has too many people indulging him, and I worry he might become spoiled. Teaching a child properly takes time, but it’s easy to spoil them,” Liberty explained kindly, hoping Duncan wouldn’t think she was opposing him.
She continued, “Moreover, Sonny already has plenty of toys. There’s no need to buy too many. Just get him one and allow him to learn how to make choices at his own pace.”
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Duncan smiled and replied, “That’s true. Everyone spoils Sonny. There needs to be someone to enforce discipline so he doesn’t go astray. However, with his uncle Zack around, Sonny won’t turn out badly.”
He added, “Let Grandma York take care of Sonny, while we help cultivate his character. But Grandma York is getting older and is busy finding suitable partners for her grandchildren, so she might not have the energy.”
Liberty responded, “I have the utmost respect for Grandma York. Despite her age, she’s still very active. Seren often says that elderly people can feel lost at home. Sometimes they go out and don’t return for a long time.”
Duncan agreed, saying, “That’s just Grandma York. She can’t stand being at home for too long; it bores her. She always says that as long as she can move, she will go out.”
While Duncan and Liberty were chatting, Sonny picked out the toys he wanted to buy.
“Mom, I’ve made my choice,” Sonny said, approaching with the selected toys in hand.
Liberty asked, “Are you certain? Once you pay, you can’t change your mind.”
Sonny nodded enthusiastically. “Mom, I’m sure of my choice.”
Liberty was about to…
Duncan remarked, “I told you I would give it to Sonny, so I’ll give it to you. You can’t let me break my promise to him.”
“Alright, then go ahead,” Liberty replied, nudging him toward the cashier to complete the payment.