Tales from the Steppes

2006-02-27

8:29 a.m.
Monday, February 27

And the water below gives a gift to the sky
And the clouds give back every time they cry
- Jack Johnson

Yesterday was the MM's 9th birthday. He elected to spend Saturday day and night with his best friend, doing some of his favorite things, than have a regular birthday party. I completely supported his decision because it is what I would decide too, if given the option. So the love of his life, Charlie, came over and the SU took them to the Baltimore aquarium and then Dave and Busters, followed by a late dinner out. They arrived home around 11pm, ready to spend the night in a "tent" (blankets strung up) in the boys' room.

All of this was fun for the MM and the only problem is that this was the first time the YM had ever been excluded from the MM's birthday celebration. There are 3 years between the two boys but the YM is very attached to his older brother. All day he sat, waiting for his brother to come home. The EM was at ballet for the day and then a sleepover, as she wanted no part of the icky boyness of the occasion. I had cleaning and other stuff to do, so I couldn't just plan a day with him. When dinner came and I asked him what he wanted, he asked what his brother wanted for dinner. I explained that the MM was not going to be home for quite some time, so he could have whatever he wanted. The only thing the YM could come up with was mac and cheese.

He changed clothes, or really, costumes, several times that evening while he waited on the futon. He told me about what he, the MM, and Charlie were going to do when they got back. Apparently, the boys were going to have a party in the blanket tent, or at least that is what the YM thought. Who knows what the reality was.

Anyway, by the time the other boys returned home, flush from a day spent having fun, the YM was a tired and stressed little monkey. We sent all three up to get ready for bed in the tent. I heard the MM say that he wanted it to just be him and Charlie in the tent but it seemed like the older boys were including the YM in their play. But then something happened - I trust neither boys explanation. And the YM did something horrible involving bodily functions, on purpose, if you believe the MM, by accident, if one believes the YM. And then the MM puked, copiously. Since he was up on his bunk bed, the height and trajectory were perfect for splashing all over the blanket tent. And other covers and pillows.

I'm just going to stop now and let you imagine the pandemonium that ensued. Really, the only thing missing was the EM getting hysterical over the scene. Charlie handled the whole thing very well, I thought. He just sat there while I cleaned up the mess. The evening ended with the YM crying himself to sleep, after being sternly rebuked. Of course, he was crying before the lecture because he felt so horrible about what he did, which lessened his punishment. The MM had lost it as well, but also received an admonishment about trying to be a little more empathetic. Everything was fine in the morning.

I will have to say that I would only have to be granted a modest number of personal wishes before "Let my family all control their bodily functions" rose to the top of the list. Just wanting my own private bath is no longer enough. Not quite all of my family has any issues. The EM and Rosie, the cat, seem to do just fine. Perhaps I can just say the problem is with the male members of the house. I am not trying to generalize here - it is just the way it works out in my case.