Just TRY to Take it Away

I was in the laundry room doing the usual 13 loads of laundry a day. I was robotically pouring in my laundry soap, staring at the water filling up, putting wet stuff in the dryer and folding the dry stuff.

Then from out in the living room there arose such a clatter, I sprang from my laundry to see what was the matter...Oh, sorry, wrong poem...

But there was quite a clatter.

David is 8 years old (9 in February!) and David is a solidly built boy. He is not overweight; he's just solid. Jenna is 2 (just turned 2 a couple of weeks ago).

Physics alone would tell you who's gonna win this one!

I didn't know what I was going to find when I heard David screaming, "NO! Jenna, STOP! NO! YOU CAN'T DO THAT! NO! NO! NO! PUT IT DOWN!!! GIVE THAT TO BUBBY!! MOOOOOMMMM!!"

Each of these phrases were flourished with interjections from Jenna: "NOOOOOOOOOOOO! NOOOOOOOOOO! MEEEEEEE! NOOOOOO!"

Oh, my goodness! What's wrong? Whaaa......? The scene I ran in on wasn't pretty. David was trying to wrench something out of Jenna's hand. Jenna was hanging on for dear life with both hands and pulling her body down to the floor to keep her precious possession. Now she's on her back....screaming.....legs flailing..."Nooooooo"...crying.

David is wrestling her down to the floor (trying not to squish her) "Give it to bubby RIGHT NOW!" "Give it! Give it!" "You can't have it!"

(Enter Supermom)

"Stop right now! What's going on here?!"

The screaming and flailing stops, but not the struggle. David looks at me with a horrified, desperate look on his face. Jenna looks up at me with brown stuff smeared across her face and dripping in her teeth.

"Mom!! She's got poop in her hand and she's EATING it!!"

All time stood still as I moved, in what seemed like slow motion, over to Jenna.

It was a chocolate-dipped sucker.

"Ooooohhhhh...."

Jenna points at David and says "No, DaDa, No, No, No!"

Ain't nobody gettin' this girl's chocolate sucker--even if it does look like poo-poo on a stick.

I'm so proud of myself. I'm doing a great job with this little girl.

smiles smuggly to self

That's right, Jenna. Ain't nobody gettin' your chocolate--just like nobody's gettin' mommy's.

Which reminds me, I've got a chocolate Lindt truffle hidden in my purse......

PS: David, good job, son! Next time you might be right!