So this just happened.
My 2 and 1/2 year old son was playing with his tool bench that has a fake table saw on it that is as loud and annoying as Fran Drescher’s voice on The Nanny (which I freakishly watch sometimes when I can’t sleep – WHY???). And by the way, thanks for tool bench Nana, we’ll be sure to bring that over for your next babysitting gig, along with a drum set, pots and pans, and some Advil.
While attempting to build something, he grabs his sister’s favorite stuffed animal and proceeds to try to cut the poor puppy’s head off. She, of course, screams bloody murder when she realizes the doomed fate of her stuffed animal.
She screams, “Mom, he’s cutting off puppy’s head!”
I run into the room, quickly take puppy from him and tell him that he can’t do that to her toys. He agrees, says he’s sorry, and returns back to his workbench.
Two minutes later, he has taken her blanket, the one that she holds more than Linus on Peanuts, the one that we have to secretly wash when she is asleep because she can’t bear to part with it. He takes that beloved blanket and shoves it through the table saw, the table saw that is supposed to be fake.
Well I’ll be damned but that thing ripped that blanket in one fell swoop. Those plastic spindles cut through it and came alive.
I look him right in the eyes, tell him what he did was very wrong and ask him if he’s sorry.
His reply?
“For puppy – yes. For blanket? No.”
As if that doesn’t want to make me crack up hysterically laughing while my crying daughter isn’t looking, he then picks himself up and walks directly to time out. It was like he knew he was going to do the time for the crime, but it was so very worth it.
Gotta hand it to him – at least he thought about consequences. I’m doing something right then as a parent, right?
