He is Visual

I am finally catching on to one truth about Shark Boy. He is visual. I tell him often that I love him, I show him all the time that I love him, and YET he believes that I love him when I look happy. He tells me that when I look like I am mad, I hate him. Actually, when he is stressed out, any look of slight frustration tells him that I hate him. It is freakishly black and white for him.

Often when I'm tired and acting like it (Hey, I'm not a robot), he asks me, "[Do] you hate me, Momma?" "No, honey. I always love you. I never hate you."

Showing some hope for progress, he'll sometimes tell me, "Oh yeah, I remember. I think you're tired. [Are] you just tired, Momma?" "Yes, honey, I'm just tired."

Needless to say, those acting classes in college are paying off. I'm getting really good at my (fake) happy look.