No News Is Good News

  We had a wonderful friend in for the weekend with her 2 adorable little girls. Do you know what happens when you get 3 little girls together ages 5-7? Well, lots of giggling, a fair amount of tattling, a whole lot of dress up and princesses, and instant best friendships developing. We only see them about 3 times a year, but the girls always end up becoming quick friends. This time the two 5 year olds paired off and her 7 year old mothered my 2 year old who was in heaven getting to play with the “big girls.” There were many lips stuck out at in big pouts at the end of the weekend.

The beginning of the weekend was still gorgeous (unlike now in which there is snow blanketing the ground. It ain’t Michigan unless it is going from 70-30 in the course of a few days) so the girls all were playing outside on the swingset and in the sandbox. For whatever reason the two activites kept intertwining leaving sand all over the slide. I had reprimanded them several times from my spot on the couch with my laptop in my lap, but the activity continued.

Finally, I called Lily inside and said, “If you bring sand out of the sandbox one more time, you will have to come inside and spend some time in your room away from your friends.” She paused and looked at me for a moment and asked, “OK, can we have a snack?”

Is it possible I speak in some decibel that is like a dog whistle and my children can’t hear me?

So I said what I say so many times throughout the course of parenting, “Did you hear what I said about the sand?”

“Yes…sorry….can we have a snack?”

“Yes, but no more putting sand on the slide OK?”

Lily goes running outside and we overhear her say, “Guys….I have good news and bad news….”