Wat da Wat?

It’s rare that we come across people who are inherently good. I have been very fortunate that I have met some people like these and they have been a part of my life. I am even more fortunate that one lives in my house.

Benito is our third child. He is the artist, pretty boy, and the jokester. Benito is naturally charming; therefore it’s difficult to stay mad at him even though he does many boneheaded things that just drive me off the wall.

If you stay long enough in Casa de Austria, you will soon discover that Benito is the most popular word in the house. In fact, in our house Benito is not only a noun, it also functions as a verb and an adjective. The reason for this overwhelming popularity is because Benito is the Rodney Dangerfield or the human doormat of our home–he just doesn’t get any respect. You know when you don’t get the proper props when a 3 year old orders you around like a minion.

When something needs to be thrown out, you say Benito. Something breaks, it’s Benito. If its smell, it must be Benito. Who drank Daddy’s favorite mango juice, it’s gotta be Benito. Every time, any time, all the time, it’s Benito.

Why is Benito such an easy target? Aside from the fact that he does drive everyone at home crazy, Benito by nature has a good heart. He is the type of person that you can count on. In short, he is the son who stayed at home when the prodigal son left to gallivant.

I know sometimes Benito doesn’t get the attention that he needs and deserves because of his birth placement–he is the middle child. I’m a middle child also; therefore I understand sometimes what he goes through.

While Benito is certainly better looking than I am, we share many things in common. We are both the middle child therefore making us low maintenance and fiercely independent. We both share a knack of sensing people’s hidden emotions. We both don’t like unwarranted attention. We always think that we are right. And we are both too nice to a point that it leads us to our detriment.

The main difference between Benito and I however is that he has a bigger capacity to love unconditionally and the ability to forgive endlessly, thus making him a better person than his father.

Now, if I can only get him to brush his teeth, take a shower, and change his clothes on a regular basis, then he will not only be a perfect son, but a perfect great smelling housemate.