Thursday, January 12, 2006

Rules

Our great friend Skipper is a great one for creating rules before we start something fun. Because Skipper is also "Mr. Safety", a moniker he takes very seriously, some of these rules are important. For example, when we all go out sailing, Rule No. 1 is Stay on the Boat. But no matter how many rules he gives us, Skipper's last rule always is, "Have Fun."

As any parent out there knows, rule-making is a cornerstone of our job. However, I have followed the Skipper's lead in that whenever I list rules for the boys, my last rule also always is, "Have fun."

Before we headed downstairs for breakfast this morning, the boys and I were snuggling in bed, discussing Sharon's health and the Alito confirmation hearings, (OK, not really, we were talking about the theme for Nicholas' birthday party-- four months from now-- and how Wallace and Gromit are great). I asked Andrew if it would be OK if Nicholas and his friend Ethan played with his new train set while he was at school.

"Sure, that's fine," he said. "But there's a few rules."

"OK," I replied, with some trepidation. "What are they?"

"Rule No. 1 is to put it back in the brown box when they're done. Rule No. 2 is to not lose any of the pieces. Rule No. 3 is to be careful. Rule No. 4 is to have fun."

When I stopped laughing hysterically, he added, "I knew you would like the last one."

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Excellent job Andrew! Like mother, like son. I've discovered children truly are our mirrors...often times a good indication that they listen to us...also sometimes not so good when they listen to us ...and repeat...

Also...thrilled to hear another 2.5 yr old is thinking about a birthday party over 4 months away!! Wait until he finds your stamps and starts addressing imaginary invitations! Consider yourself warned...

Have fun!