Two Kids on his Hands
Today was one of those very rare days when I had worked the night before and Micah had things going on all day--things he couldn't keep the kids for. It only happened one other time, when Henry was sick and had to stay home from an event. That time he got to sit on the couch and watch as many shows as he wanted while he nibbled soda crackers and he thought for sure he'd won the lottery. This time the kids were on their own downstairs for about three hours. They did a great job (I just couldn't sleep--my mind was racing from the time I got home from work until mid-afternoon!). They watched a movie, had a snack, and played (mostly) quietly. At bedtime I told them all they'd done a great job. I told Henry he was an old pro at this kind of thing now. He sighed heavily and said,
"Yeah, but last time it was like an hour and it was just me, Mom. This time I had two kids on my hands and it was, like, four hours. I was trying to keep them in line, make them play quietly, and keep them out of things. It was pretty hard. I'm tired. And, Mom, Cora said 'heck' while you were sleeping--don't you think you should do something about that? I told her to stop, but you might want to talk to her. It was just a lot of work."
I stifled a laugh, nodded seriously, and told him he'd done a fantastic job (and that I'd already talked to Cora about her potty mouth). He seemed satisfied that I knew how hard it had been to have two kids on his hands all afternoon and rolled over on his bed to go to sleep. They never cease to make me laugh with the things they think up.
"Yeah, but last time it was like an hour and it was just me, Mom. This time I had two kids on my hands and it was, like, four hours. I was trying to keep them in line, make them play quietly, and keep them out of things. It was pretty hard. I'm tired. And, Mom, Cora said 'heck' while you were sleeping--don't you think you should do something about that? I told her to stop, but you might want to talk to her. It was just a lot of work."
I stifled a laugh, nodded seriously, and told him he'd done a fantastic job (and that I'd already talked to Cora about her potty mouth). He seemed satisfied that I knew how hard it had been to have two kids on his hands all afternoon and rolled over on his bed to go to sleep. They never cease to make me laugh with the things they think up.
