The other night while I was folding laundry, my 4-year-old son D- managed to achieve the rare feat of sneaking up on me undetected. His ferocious roar gave me the momentary flash of panic I normally only taste in the air around my own victims, but being the consummate professional* I am, I immediately recovered and so betrayed nothing to my tormentor.
However, after a moment's reflection during a brief unrelated Q&A (4-year-olds being nature's ideal unpaid messengers), I decided not to deny him his rightful victory, so I called to him just before he left the room:
Me: Hey, nice work back there, by the way-- I didn't hear you coming at all!
D- (smiling): I'm gonna scare you again...
Me: No, it can't work now, because you just told me you were doing it.
D-: (pauses) Let's try it again where I don't tell you about it.
Me (laughing): But you just told me about it again! (looks back down toward the laundry)
D-: (begins tip-toeing forward with a large smile)
* Non-compensated professional, of course, as is the case with most of my careers.
You may also enjoy the other (4 YO son) D- conversations, (2YO daughter) M- conversations, and (wife) J- conversations.
11 comments:
Awesome. Sounds like a cheetah stalking a Thomson gazelle.
Gah. I should be folding laundry. Now I feel guilty. But, these four-year-olds? They are good fun.
Laundry? Who has time for LAUNDRY? People I hate, I think. I love it when O. tries to hide; he cowers o nthe gournd in a ball and says "I hiding!" but he hasn't graduated to scaring me yet.
You lost me after the word "laundry". I had to contemplate all that involved. Sorry-I will have to come back and re-read.
Every night my little one sneaks out of her room for 'one more kiss and hug'. And , I somehow never 'hear' her.
Can you teach my husband how to fold laundry??
He's counting on your being old and forgetting that he just told you.
At least you're not one of those parents who "act surprised" a 2nd, 3rd and 4th time. I think that really screws children up!
*jumps out at you*
Boo!
(Did it work?)
Well, there goes his ninja career.
i love the whole out of site, out of mind theory at that age. so cute to try to scare you and then immediately try again. :)
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