DND
Azul spent quite a bit of energy being mad at me this afternoon. He is actually very good at going to his room when he gets mad, and that’s where it started. Soon he ventured out of his quiet place, with his brow furrowed and his bottom lip hanging out, grabbed his orange Crayon and a piece of paper and asked, “How do you spell ‘do not disturb?'” So, I started with “do” and he wrote it and said, “Can you write the rest?” I asked, “You want me to write the sign, kicking me out of your room?” His answer with a smile was “Oh yeah,” grabbing his crayon, “What’s next?” I spelled it out and he finished writing his formal announcement of banishment and marched back to his room. He came back out again, this time asking, “Can I have a piece of tape, please?” I gave him the tape and he continued his work and closed the door. I wondered how long this will last.
Sweet Sacrifice
Azul, my now five-year old, has been going through a stage, or at least I hope it’s a stage, of sneaking and hiding candy. I have found it in his bed, under his bed, behind his bedroom door and in the closet. All the places you would expect candy to be hidden, it was. He basically gets to eat all the candy he wants, so I have explained that there is no need to be sneaky. This weekend, while we were running errands, Azul kept limping and having what seemed like trouble walking. I repeatedly asked him if he was hurt or if his shoe was on wrong and his answer remained that same “No.” He even, at one point, took off his shoe to show me it was okay. 
So, I let it go, but being the keenly observant parent I am and after an afternoon of hobbling, I told him to take his shoe off and…There it was — a hot sweaty orange Starburst! It was gross and I asked the obvious, because that was the first thing to come to my mind, “Is that what you’ve been hiding?” And we both started laughing at the abuse the poor candy took throughout the day. Of course, I then asked laughing, “Are going to eat that?” His answer still didn’t change, “No.”
Never Say Never
Sometimes it is a free-for-all at my house while Azul and I are trying to entertain ourselves. This afternoon, it led to two “nevers” (those moments you never thought you would ever experience) in one interaction. One came from me and the other from Azul. He was playing “disguise;” I was told to stay in the living room — okay easy — while he was sneaking from bedroom to bedroom finding the perfect way to fool me. When he finally revealed himself to me, he had on a hat, sunglasses, and lipstick all over his mouth. He asked, “Do you recognize me?” After laughing out loud at my son, I said, “No! There is a stranger in my house.” This got the game really going and he ran back to the bedrooms giggling with a new idea. A few minutes passed, and the second time he came out he had added to his wardrobe. 
Now, he had on a pair of my platform sandals and a bra, and here comes the first never. I never thought I would hear my son singing repeatedly, “I get to wear the chi-chis! I get to wear the chi-chis!” At this point we are both laughing uncontrollably and I did help him adjust his bra, or “chi-chis,” so I could take a picture. And that’s when the second never happened. I came in close to help him, saw it and said, “Oh, my love, you got lipstick on my bra!” I couldn’t help thinking, I can’t wait for daddy to get home.
Carmelina Hart 