Chaos was taking a bath tonight, and he just didn't want to get out of the tub. I was really ready for him to go to bed, but I couldn't think of any way to make that happen without starting a big fight. That is, until I tried my animal voices.
Each motivational "get-out-of-the-tub-and-get-ready-for-bed" trick only works for a while. He used to like letting the water out so much that he would do that as soon as I was finished bathing him, which encouraged him to get out. Then he figured out how to get out pretty much by himself, which was fun and worked for a while. But now that's old, too.
I didn't even know I had animal voices. And to be honest, I really don't. But all I had to do was put my hand over my mouth and pretend I was his teddy bear calling him to bed. When I saw how well that worked, I went into his room, got his bear and his puppy dog, and made them peek around the corner into the bathroom and say, "Chaos, we're tired. We're ready for bed. Are you coming?"
Gosh, it's so easy to fool a preschooler. Chaos was yelling back to the animals, "I'm coming bear and puppy! I'm coming to bed." It was great.
And it worked. Twenty minutes later, he was sound asleep.
And so was the puppy. And the teddy bear.
In fact, I am the only one in this house who is still awake, because I have this disorder that compels me to write about almost every mundane thing that happens to me. Have you noticed that? Sorry. I think it's the only thing that keeps me sane. I just can't believe that a pretty big handful of you people still read this crap. ;)
4 comments:
i think reading about someone's daily life is more interesting than politics. with someone's daily life i never know what to expect. politics on the other hand are way too predictable.
animal voices work every time!
I also love reading these, especially about the Captain. I know all about that little Dude.
Moms everywhere, I am sure, understand and have experienced similar if not almost identical scenarios. So how can we not come to read, laugh a little and reaffirm to ourselves and others that we are still sane regardless of our roles as ventriloquists in the past. And yes we have all played these and many other roles in our long trajectory as parents. All I can say is "always, always enjoy the ride with Captain Chaos." They will be the most cherished and remembered years of your life. :)
Maybe you could try those ventriloquist voices on Obama?
You could pretend to be Chairman Mao or some communist and say (in a high voice), "America doesn't want universal health care." Hey, it's worth a shot and if it doesn't work, I sure will get a good laugh at your expense. ;)
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