Good Brother

Last night, I was getting Walker and Shelby for bed Shelby already had a bath, was in her jammies and Walker was just getting out of the tub.

Walker and I began our dual of creative wits. Walker creates diversionary and delayment methods to prolong the moment he actually gets put to bed and I think of new and ever more excruciating or horrifying threats to persuade him to go to bed.

I was reading the news online, Shelby was playing with her dolls next to me. She had lovingly and gently placed two dolls in a tiny red wagon, positioning them so that they faced each other. Then she neatly folded a blanket and placed it over them to keep them warm. Singing them songs she pranced around the house taking her dolls for wagon rides. Walker came in the office/guest bedroom hopping on one foot, still soaking wet from the bath and a blue towel draped around him. He plopped on the bed, holding his foot "OW! Ow! ow!" he cried. I recognized this for what it was, a tactic. A poorly played tactic. My turn. I played the uninterested and unsympathetic card. I kept reading "Mmm, that's too bad. Now go get your jammies on" There was no way he was winning tonight. Walker's turn. "I can't walk! I think my foot is broken!" he said. I kept reading "How did you break your foot?" I asked, then cursed myself. I just let him score a point. We both knew if he could lure me into an inquiry conversation, bed time was getting pushed back. "I don't know? I think I must have stepped on it with my other foot! Ow! Ow! ow! I can't walk on it!" I reverted back to my original tactic to see to see if I could regain control of this match. "Get your jammies on." I mumbled.

Shelby hopped into the room pulling her dollies, Walker was laying on the bed face down. his legs hanging off the bed. Shelby came over to the bed, leaned over so that she could look into his face and then she picked up a pillow and I said "Yeah Shelby! Hit him with that pillow! He's not minding me." She stopped and glared at me like I was pure evil. "NO!" she shot at me "He's a GOOD brother!" she said. I watched her curiously as she pulled her dollies out of her wagon, put the pillow on the wagon and helped Walker into the wagon. After she had him situated she pulled him in the wagon to his room so that he could get his jammies on. Just before Walker disappeared with the wagon around the corner he flashed a smile at me as if to say "I win!" I flashed a smile back. One day, I am hoping I will learn to be the grown up in these situations.