Sharing is such sweet sorrow
Suddenly, there's lots of conversation in our house. Josephinie calls for "book" -- with a real K! And she yells, "Loooloooooo." Meanwhile, Margaret strung together two words (and two urgently waving arms) when I walked into their room this morning -- "Up! Baby!"
Ball! Baba! Baby!
Cookie! Up! Down!
Mommy! Dada! Kitty!
Meow... Woo-woo!
Still, their favorite word remains NO, and lately I have been getting the feeling that they're using it to mock me. For example, tonight Sweet Josephine grabbed a handful of Israeli couscous and flung it on the floor. "No Josephine!" I shouted. And she says, "Nooooo!" and throws another handful down. "No, no, no!" I repeat.
Does that sound funny? Because Margaret certainly thought so. Although she doesn't usually like to part with her food (seriously), she followed up with a few tossed grains, screeching, "Noooooo!"
For the record, I DO NOT SCREECH.
I think I'm firm! Not amused! "No, NO, NO!" I say. And the echo is deafening! "Noooo! NO! NONONONONO! Neeeeeeh! Nah! Nah! NONONONON! NOooooooOOOo!"
So, basically, I have no control over any living thing in the house. Josephine writes on the wall! (Years ago, when Lucy was a baby and friends would give us Mr. Clean and Magic Crayons and all that kind of stuff, I would laugh (on the inside, in a superior tone), thinking that, please, no child of mine writes on the walls! And now God is punishing me for my condescension. Yes, He is.) Tonight, they spread brown rice on the carpet. Isn't that some kind of torture in Southeast Asian countries? Being forced to kneel on rice? Are they setting traps for me??
Margaret has these fierce little bouts of foot stamping when she doesn't get her way. She kind of reminds me of one of my sisters. I'm not sure I should say which one... You really only have to say, "Margaret! You need to share." And as soon as she hears that SH... she yells, "NO!" and stamps her foot. And then I take away the (harmonica, Goldfish crackers, Dora ball, cell phone, Dole fruit cup) and she falls to pieces, burying her head in the couch cushion and crying. "It stinks not to have everything your way," I sadly agree.
Lucy says, "Poor Margaret. You have to share."
Josephine grins. Then points, and occasionally will bring Margaret a pacifier.
In other news, tomorrow is Halloween!
David carved a Dick Cheney pumpkin!
Ball! Baba! Baby!
Cookie! Up! Down!
Mommy! Dada! Kitty!
Meow... Woo-woo!
Still, their favorite word remains NO, and lately I have been getting the feeling that they're using it to mock me. For example, tonight Sweet Josephine grabbed a handful of Israeli couscous and flung it on the floor. "No Josephine!" I shouted. And she says, "Nooooo!" and throws another handful down. "No, no, no!" I repeat.
Does that sound funny? Because Margaret certainly thought so. Although she doesn't usually like to part with her food (seriously), she followed up with a few tossed grains, screeching, "Noooooo!"
For the record, I DO NOT SCREECH.
I think I'm firm! Not amused! "No, NO, NO!" I say. And the echo is deafening! "Noooo! NO! NONONONONO! Neeeeeeh! Nah! Nah! NONONONON! NOooooooOOOo!"
So, basically, I have no control over any living thing in the house. Josephine writes on the wall! (Years ago, when Lucy was a baby and friends would give us Mr. Clean and Magic Crayons and all that kind of stuff, I would laugh (on the inside, in a superior tone), thinking that, please, no child of mine writes on the walls! And now God is punishing me for my condescension. Yes, He is.) Tonight, they spread brown rice on the carpet. Isn't that some kind of torture in Southeast Asian countries? Being forced to kneel on rice? Are they setting traps for me??
Margaret has these fierce little bouts of foot stamping when she doesn't get her way. She kind of reminds me of one of my sisters. I'm not sure I should say which one... You really only have to say, "Margaret! You need to share." And as soon as she hears that SH... she yells, "NO!" and stamps her foot. And then I take away the (harmonica, Goldfish crackers, Dora ball, cell phone, Dole fruit cup) and she falls to pieces, burying her head in the couch cushion and crying. "It stinks not to have everything your way," I sadly agree.
Lucy says, "Poor Margaret. You have to share."
Josephine grins. Then points, and occasionally will bring Margaret a pacifier.
In other news, tomorrow is Halloween!
David carved a Dick Cheney pumpkin!
posted by Mary Ellen at
5:23 PM
3 Comments:
Pictures, please!!!
As a former wall-writer myself, I think writing on alternative surfaces is an early sign of genius.
"Alternative surfaces". I like that. Makes it sound like paper is such a two-dimensional, 20th Century notion.
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