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Sometimes Sugar

Saturday, we went to our comic book stores' 30th anniversary party.  The evening was hilarious!  My partner and I, without discussing it with one another, decided we were essentially going to be the designated driver for the kids.  Designated driver is a bit of a misnomer for two reasons.  First of all, we don’t drive anywhere.  Second, the kids of course weren’t drinking.  There were however, bowls of pastel colored M&Ms—for Spring I suppose—everywhere!  We told the kids they could each have one handful.  However, as I watched, 4 year-old No. Three had not one, not two, but at least four handfuls that I saw.  Of course, her hands are small, but still.  The only kid that resisted the M&M urge was 8 year-old No. One.  She was characteristically responsible.  I admonished One on two occasions that she was really supposed to have had only one handful, but to no avail, and to be honest, I wasn’t really serious. 

The M&Ms took their toll almost immediately.  Three tackled me five times as we perused the funny books around the store.  I asked her not to each time, and yet a few minutes later, I’d feel a THUD around my knees.  She got to sit on the floor for a bit and consider what she was doing.  She suppressed a giggling grin the entire time.

Two was his normal verbose self when we left the party plus some. “Woooohoooo!” He shouted as he ran down the sidewalk in front of us.  Then he’d spin for a bit, and dance a little jig.  He frequently would wander back to excitedly tell us about this or that thing he’d just remembered that struck his fancy.

All in all, we all had a blast!  Sometimes it’s OK to let the rules slide for a bit I suppose.  My partner and I had a bit more work to do telling the younger two when disaster was about to strike.  Still though, it was fun to watch, and as it turned out there was no harm in it.  All the kids retained the rules they’ve learned since they were little: don’t bump off of other people, stop at every corner. 

Even No. One got into the game a bit.  As we neared our train stop, she eyed a street sign in front of a local bar.  The gentleman leaning against the door asked, “Do you think you can get to the top?”

One, an old pole climber at heart, looked to my partner and I for approval.  After we made sure our train was still a ways out, we said OK, and up she went!  She didn’t make it all the way, but she got six feet up the 8 foot pole!  She did great, and had a blast!  We all did.  Now, we're even learning about parties!


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