Kids are Like People

It's May and it's freezing and my kids decided they should have a picnic today. So we bundled up in jackets, hats and mittens and headed outside. The mittens weren't totally necessary but I just didn't feel like being cold today. Neither did Magoo.

I handed Laylee a blanket to set out and went inside to make the sandwiches. When I returned, I found that they had placed the blanket in the center of the driveway and started surrounding it with a border of large boulder-like stones from the landscaping. Some of the rocks were over 8 inches in diameter and I wasn't sure how they were transporting them. Kind of like Stonehenge.

Laylee told me she wanted everything to look pretty for the picnic and I told her that was fine but that if they moved the rocks for the picnic, they'd have to move them back when they were done. "Oh. Sure. Yeah," she agreed. "Oh. Sure. Yeah. RARRR," Magoo the T-Rex echoed.

"For real," I said. "You'll have to put them all back where you got them."

They looked at me like I was out of my mind and assured me that they'd be happy to carry the boulders back.

Of course when the rain started and our picnic was over, the complaining started. They didn't want to move the rocks. The rocks were WAY too heavy to carry West. They could only be carried East. It was RAINING. They were tired...but not tired enough to go in and take naps. They didn't WANT to do it.

Laylee started to work with a grumble in her throat, while Magoo began trying to kick the rocks back to where they came from with little success. It's hard to kick a rock that's almost as big as your head. Then Laylee came up with an idea. She had Magoo stand next to the landscaping and started hurling the rocks at him.

"You pick them up and move them onto the pile Magoo. I'll 'pass' them to you."

"Okay," he chimed with his melon-headed grin, dodging the giant rocks as they flew towards him. Not the best plan ever but I like the fact that Laylee was being creative. I soon stepped in and saved the little boy from an Old Testament-worthy demise.

I think kids are a lot like people. At least they're a lot like me. They want to do fun stuff without having any consequences for their actions, without having to clean up the disasters they make in their exuberant joy.

Luckily for me I don't have a mom living at my house to force me to be responsible. I, for example, have still not unpacked from my mini-vacation to the Great Wolf Lodge last weekend. I also tend to fling the dirty clothes over the banister to save time transporting laundry. I won't say whether or not I've ever hit Dan with an avalanche of musty towels.

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