Little Devils

Don't let their cute little smiling faces fool you. These two are terrors. The girl is mine, the boy is a good friend's son; we baby sit each other's kids often. Each one of these toddlers is a pleasant, fairly obedient, good-natured little thing on their own, but together they're like the vinegar and baking soda in your childhood science fair volcanoes; safe, non-toxic and stable until you mix them and get a stinky bubbling reaction all over the kitchen counter, or in my case, spilled milk all over the kitchen floor, Cate's bed sheets and blankets all over the front room, cat food all over the patio and peanut butter and honey all over the kids. Where was I?, you may ask. My husband did. Well, I was in my jetted tub having my regular midmorning bubble bath, reading a Harlequin and eating bon-bons. But I gave the children very specific instructions to sit on the couch and read their library books for twenty minutes, then get themselves a healthy snack, then lay down for a nap. And under no circumstances were they to get out any band-aids, peanut butter or cat food. Or throw blocks or rocks at each other. Or raid the pantry for chocolate chips.

Maybe I should ask my friend if they give her a hard time at her house. Do they combine their powers to create chaos in her home too? But what if they don't? What if they're good for her? What if she keeps them occupied with positive, social-skill building activities every minute they're in her care? Then I might have guilt. And she might ask exactly what they do at my house. And she might suspect that I spend most of the time they’re here organizing my closet and painting my toenails. And then she’d never bring them here again and I’d have to quit my job because do you know how hard it is to find day care in this town?

After watching me clean up the patio, the little boy said to me, “I’m sorry. I’ll never do that again.” You better not you sweet little thing, but what will you two think of next?
And what exactly, is a bon-bon?