Because I’m tired of my living room looking like Toys-R-Us, and because it seems silly to have 3 toddler beds crammed in a room for two children, I removed the extra bed and replaced it with the train table.
You would have thought I’d made Christmas come early. Here’s a trick... if your kids are sick of their toys, move them down the hall – voilà – what’s old is new again.
Then, having bestowed upon them such joy, at so little cost, I lost myself in the grande ballroom that had been, only moments before, a cramped and tiny living room – the idea of having a fire in the fire place that has been, for the past 3 years, a parking garage, seemed suddenly feasible.
The sound of screams and panting broke through my fantasy. Moments later, standing in their doorway, I found the boys entangled arms flapping wildly, Slap - slap - slap! Grunts and growls accompanying a crying chorus. I managed to pry them apart carefully – never put oneself between fighting dogs – and sat their sobbing bodies side by side.
Four outreached arms pleaded to me in unison, and I stepped back and said “Uh – uhh!’
“Beating your brother is totally unacceptable! You BOTH need to make it better! Now give each other a kiss and a hug, and say your sorry!”
Sob • hiccup • hiccup • sob • snuffle – drag a sleeve across ones nose – they leaned in, wrapped themselves in the others arms, Tizzy pinching Zips face to haul him in for a kiss.
“I’m sauwwy. So sauwwy.”
“I sauwwy too.”
“Oh mama, I’m so sad. I’m feeling angry.”
“I angwy too.”
“Then, I think another hug’s in order.”
Hug - hug - kiss - kiss - Sigh
“So what’s going on? What could possibly come between the two of you to make you behave this way?”
“Took my engine - he took my engine away!”
“My steam engine mama - Oh mama, I’m so very sad.”
I turned toward the bed I’d disentangled them from, and picked up a small train.
“THIS?” –
“This is what you were fighting over?”
“This is the wimpiest train EVER – why we even still have this , I can’t be sure!”
“BWAAA-Ha-Ha-Ha” their sobs turned to hysteria.
“IZ EN - GIN! Iz Weem-Pee! Ha-ha-ha-ha- Ahhh...”
And that, was that.
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15 comments:
But it was his. No it wasn't, it was his (however wimpy)!
Fighting over the wimpy train? That is the funniest story ever! HA.
Oh that's hilarious! It's strange what things set them off, isn't it? Graham threw a pretty sweet tantrum yesterday because I took a straw away from him when I put him in his high chair. A straw. C'mon. They cost a penny. Glad you got some space back at your house. We're still at Toys R Us over here.
(Just found my way here from Dana's Brain, and I'm laughing already.)
Before the Swede and the kids came, there was one person on earth I would have killed, died, or gone to prison for. My brother.
This fact would NOT have been revealed in our younger days. Back then, there was a lot of blood, a lot of screaming, and a couple of death threats...but...the first fight, with someone other than my brother, I ever had, was with a kid who picked on my brother in school. I was terrified of standing up for myself at the time, but I promptly put the kid in his locker, and closed it, when I heard he made my brother cry.
Ah, "The lives of brothers" indeed.
My boys once fought over who was going to take out the Diaper Genie bag. I was like "Seriously, guys, it's frigg'in poop! You are fighting over the privledge to take out your sister's poop."
I was met with blank stares and then 5 seconds later, they were all over each other like a MMA match.
My sister and I used to fight about EVERYTHING. One reason I am worried about having another one. The other is, you know, pregnancy and the mindblowing pain of childbirth.
Values change with possession ;)
Heh, Wait until they get older and pull that.
Such the brotherly bond. We have that here over wrestling figures. Good, good times...
:)
Let me tell you it doesn't just have to be brothers. My 5 yr old boy will have zero interest in something until the 2 yr old girl starts to play with it. Then the gloves come off.
We cleaned the kids toy room when afternoon while they were gone to my mom's, we put away 2 large bags of toys trying to make them think I tossed them in the trash because they didn't pick them up....instead, when they came inside, they looked in the toyroom and yelled "look, we got new toys!!!!!!"
Uh, what the heck?
I have to say that is the sweetest fight between brothers EVER!! How I wish I could get my guys to hug, kiss and make up that way. At 9 and 11 they would think I was crazy to suggest it....hmmm, we may have something here....
You tell that story with such grace. My kids are just now beginning this... except I have a hard time not interjecting and defending my "little baby." I know I have to let them duke it out sooner or later.. it's just not as easily done as said.
My kids will fight over anything. Straws, stickers, turns in seats, who gets to hold my hand, who repeated the other one last...
But I have to laugh - we moved the train table to my son's room yesterday too. He is THRILLED. Moving things around is a great way to re-energize everyone.
Tomorrow is purge day. :)
Oh no! Not a WHIMPY engine! Now I'm crying too!
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