The Po Show

Split Personality

What is it with kids saving all their worst behavior for Mom (and Dad)? Yeah, I know, we get the lovey dovey stuff that no one else gets too, and it is more than enough compensation, but it still cracks me up how kids know that the ones who love them best will tolerate their worst.

Yesterday I picked up Tessa at daycare and was putting her into the car. I noticed a bunch of dried blood behind her ear, with a bit smeared onto her neck. We went back to the playard so that I could ask if they knew what had happened to her. There had been no accident report, and since it was not cleaned up I was assuming that they actually didn't know anything had happened.

I was right, and Tessa's head teacher was mortified that she hadn't noticed. She was terribly apologetic and said that Tessa was the most uncomplaining child she'd ever seen. That Tessa will fall down hard, and they'll rush up to her and ask if she's okay, and Tessa just says "Yeah" and shuffles off to play again.

"Are we talking about the same child?," I asked. Surely they had her mistaken for someone else. MY Tessa whines incessantly about being hurt, about being sad, and constantly wants me to attend to ouchies. She wants me to pick her up following an infinite number of tragedies every single day. Drama queen, in a house full of drama queens (sometimes I think Ross is going to get himself committed just for the vacation).

The day before yesterday we got home in the evening (bright daylight still at 5:30!!! I LOVE it!!! Except that we play outside for so long every evening that by the time we come in and eat it's really late) and our neighbor was outside on their front lawn, with the two babies she was watching for a friend. The babies were twin boys, 9 months old, with that wonderful chicken-y flyaway hair standing straight up from their heads. *SO* cute! Their two older brothers were running around with my neighbor's four kids. Add in my two and that was a lot of kids running around the yard. Anyway, I hung out holding the babies, just drowning in baby lust. Despite the fact that it was their dinner time, the babies cooed and smiled big toothless smiles and tried to put their slobbery fingers in my mouth. *SO* cute!!

Then their mom showed up. Almost immediately both babies, who had been happy as clams before, started wailing. She picked up one, who quieted a bit, but then the other one really turned up the volume. She said it was their dinner time and hurriedly packed up all the kids into her car. The babies never stopped crying the whole time. It was an amazing contrast to their good-natured behavior just five minutes before.

Lucky moms (and dads), who are so trusted and loved by their children that they bestow upon us the behavior that would make strangers leave them on the side of the road :).