A Musing Mother 6

Ten year old boys are a little on the funny side. While exploring the condo where we are staying, he stood in front of a mirrored closet door. His eyes moved from one reflection of himself to the other. Finally, he concluded this stare down with, "I don't think I trust either one of you." This is the same boy who, when he figured out Mr. Taylor and I were speaking in code (talking about one of the children), he stared at us both in disbelief then exclaimed, "You're talking about my secret adoption, aren't you!" I don't think he realizes how funny he is. A couple of years ago we were wrestling and I let him pin me. He then informed me he would never get married and have children. He would grow up and get a dog and a cat and name them Bob and Fred. "Who will cook for you? And go to the store? Who will make your lunches?" I asked. "Bob and Fred," he replied matter-of-factly. That made me laugh and, since he was sitting on my stomach ...

It was time for a date with my husband. This is a long forgotten ritual in marriages where overwrought parents go out together without children. We look forward to it with anticipation. We can talk about life, children, work, friends, each other, food, and dreams of Hawaii. Sometimes we even sit in complete silence just for the sake of silence. Then came the glitch. The teenager, who is becoming increasingly more involved in other activities than doing what we want her to do, had plans. She's our responsible babysitter. Plan B: Get the 12 year old to babysit the little boy. It's a good plan but not solid. She gets tired easily and should really go to bed. Then she gets bossy. When she gets bossy there are tears. To clarify, she wants to control too much which is frustrating for everybody else. I was worried. Plan C: Tell the 10 year old boy he's the back-up babysitter if his sister steps down and informs him she needs to go to bed. She understands how she gets when she'...