In someone else's shoes

Dennis and I finally succumbed to the colds the kids caught on vacation.  But the kids are now humming with energy once again: Can we bake cookies? Can we paint our nanos and turn them into new characters? Can we have a tea party? Can we start a family newspaper?

Dennis and I were glazed, with little energy to get them started on anything, and so the kids were left to their own devices, and so turned to that old chestnut, picking on each other.

So we parents did what parents do, and stormed at them, separated them, punished them.

And they responded by reminding us, in the most ingenuous way, that they're fully aware of their own faults and that they love and understand each other more than we credit them for doing....

They put themselves in each other's shoes:

They crept out of their room, looking for a laugh, and they got one. Dennis and I were helpless as Ella whispered "Okay, Alex, go!" Alex squealed and tossed his head and flounced in perfect mimicry of Ella in a snit.  And then Ella jumped up and down, doing a silly dance, in imitation of her inexhaustible brother.  

And then the kids went and made their own newspaper, complete with Editorial ("Why do you have to be 18 to drive? Outrage! I think kids should be allowed to drive by the age of 9....18 indeed!"), Health and Science ("Alex the scientist says TV helps kids' imaginations."), and General Insanity ("Umbrellas should be considered safety equipment. When you fall of a cliff they save you. They help you float. It shows you that in movies such as Mary Poppins.")

Putting the finishing touches on their periodical on her
commute to the playground.

In better humor, but still tired, the best we could do was to get the kids to the park across the street, letting them dig in the dirt a little.

And I decided that, of all the things I miss about home, having a backyard is high, high on the list. Being able to tell the kids "go outside and play" is such a wonderful thing.  Our super tells us that they're putting in another little playground around the back of our building.  It's not within eyeshot, but it's just a leap over the balcony railing away, and I think it might be safe for Alex and Ella, at least, to go there on their own.

I'm happy to report that peace was generally restored by this evening, although I did have Alex run a few laps up and down our hall, and then had him throw in a few push-ups and jumping jacks.  He was still bouncing around during bedtime stories, right up until the moment he collapsed at 7:00.

Sounds like a little boy, doesn't it.