Mitchell especially, maybe because he has more recently made the discovery that there are two different levels of paying attention from his parents, is more insistent on the real kind. I often hear something like this from him, "Hey mom, watch me! Mom, really watch me! Mom, turn your face to me!"
The whole "watch me" really gets amped up a notch when Matt returns from a trip. The boys climb all over him, both talk at the same time, getting louder and louder to drown the other one out, and insist on his "real" attention. Matt is usually pretty excited to see them as well, so while figuring out how to pay attention to both who are going in separate directions is somewhat difficult, he at least has no problem with being distracted by something else. Sometimes though, he just wants to talk to me or has paid attention for a while and now has moved onto the other kind - the distracted, pretend kind.
This last time he returned, Ben and Mitchell were very excited about a new movie we had rented and were just positive Daddy would feel just the same way when he got home. They made him sit in "their" seat (the one closest to the TV which they both sit on top of each other for) and watch it with them. Matt is not so into the kids' movies so he lasted about 3 minutes of really watching, then attempted to sit with them, but not actually watch it. Mitchell noticed this pretty quickly and took care of it. Ben quickly joined the fight for daddy's attention and he was trapped. "Watch this, Daddy! Watch!"
Every time he'd try to turn his head, Mitchell would physically turn his head back in the direction of the TV and scold him for not watching. Ben joined in the battle for attention by sitting on his head so he couldn't turn it. You're not getting out of it easily this time, daddy!
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