Talking Crabs

Too many times, situations occur while Mommy is attempting to put Asher down. I think I could repeatedly start entries with, while Mommy was attempting to put Asher down. It would become repetitive and dull, and, honestly, who would want to read it.

A few days ago, while Mommy was attempting to put Asher down, Tahlia, as she often does, burst into Asher's darkened, quiet, noise-maker-sound-filled room with all of her two-year-oldness bursting from the seems because she needed to talk to Mommy.

Tahlia knows that while Mommy puts Asher down, her choices of activities are broad. She can play with her Fisher Price 1970's house, her Fisher Price 1970's castle, read her books, or play quietly in her room. She knows that she is not supposed to burst into Asher's room and make any noise at all.

When Mommy sees her there, and hears her request, Mommy lets her know, in the harshest whisper that she can muster, that Tahlia must return to her room and play quietly. She lets her know that she can't talk right now.

Tahlia doesn't seem dejected as she leaves; in fact, she seems resolved. The reason she is resolved is because she's found a loop hole. Mommy won't talk to Tahlia right now, but maybe she will talk to someone, or something else. She returns moments later, seeming to have forgotten the dictates of Asher's put down time. She seems to have forgotten her castle, house and books, but has remembered a little, plastic, red, bath crab that she now has in hand.

Mommy reiterates in a whisper, "Tahlia, I can't talk. Go back to your room."

Suddenly there is a little plastic, almost cartoon like crab held out at arms length, "Mommy, the crab wants to talk to you."

I'm glad Mommy had to deal with this. This is one of those situations where, if I was dealing with it, I would have started laughing ferociously. Mommy though, after having the experience of helping to take care of her brother and sister, and having stayed at home with Tahlia for her entire life, doesn't miss a beat.

"I don't want to talk to the crab."

And, to everyone's surprise, this doesn't seem to be a shock to Tahlia as she turns and leaves the room.