They understand more than I thought possible.

My 4 yo son has a habit of being clingy towards his mom, especially when his 2 yo brother is around. When they both do it, it overwhelms my wife. Today, I explained to my 4 yo that sometimes his mother needs space. (Edit: I mentioned sometimes he wants to play by himself, even though he loves his brother.) He was mid-tantrum after she left, and I doubted that he understood.A few hours later, we wake him up from a nap. We wanted to take him and his brother on a play date with his best friend. He’s in an awful mood...snapping at everyone, procrastinating, etc. I asked what is wrong, and try to explain we want him to hurry so he has time to play. He says, “Remember what you said before?” I didn’t. “Remember what you said about Mommy and space? I need some.” I probably did a double-take, but said okay, and left him alone.Eye-opener for me. via /r/Parenting http://bit.ly/2YToLkh