The Charlie Brown and Lucy Game
During bath time last night I realized the deadly duo have a new game. Leia would hold out two fistfulls of bath toys toward her brother, while he looked shyly on. As soon as he reached for one, she jerked them back and laughed uproariously. And it kept going on for a long time. It started reminding me of the old Peanuts gag where Charlie Brown tries to kick the football and Lucy always pulls it away at the last second. And every time she convinces Charlie that this time she won't pull it away.
At first it looked more like tormenting than playing a game, but it turned out Luke was up for the situation. He laughed right along with her. He started making more effort to get the toys, so she had to start crawling farther away in the tub. Which just made them both laugh more. We ended up with water all over the three of us and the bathroom floor, but it was worth it. If there's a cure for a rotten day at work, it definitely involves two toddlers laughing.
Stealing toys is old hat in any house with twins toddlers, or even twin babies. It's been going on since they got old enough to realize they could use their hands to actually pick up all that shiny noisy stuff. Leia has always been ahead of Luke on the fine motor skills so she was pincering Cheerios while he was still swiping at toys and like mittens were permanently attached to his hands. So she's been taking his toys since the very first time he picked up a block.
The times have changed a little though. These days he's catching up so he holds on to a lot more toys. Much to Leia's chagrin. Luke rarely cries when his toys dissapear into his sister's hand. Ironicly though, most of the crying occurs when he holds on to a toy. Leia does not take kindly at all to being thwarted. And it gets epicly bad when he takes one of her toys.
I haven't figured out how to handle it yet. Most of the time I take the toy away from the thief and give it back to the victim. Then the thief shakes a fist in my face while the victim decides to play with something else instead. I'm sorely tempted to stay out of it and let them resolve it between the two of them, but that turns Lord of the Flies in the blink of an eye. A slap fight between one year olds is a strange blend of hilarious and epicly sad all rolled into one.
At first it looked more like tormenting than playing a game, but it turned out Luke was up for the situation. He laughed right along with her. He started making more effort to get the toys, so she had to start crawling farther away in the tub. Which just made them both laugh more. We ended up with water all over the three of us and the bathroom floor, but it was worth it. If there's a cure for a rotten day at work, it definitely involves two toddlers laughing.
Stealing toys is old hat in any house with twins toddlers, or even twin babies. It's been going on since they got old enough to realize they could use their hands to actually pick up all that shiny noisy stuff. Leia has always been ahead of Luke on the fine motor skills so she was pincering Cheerios while he was still swiping at toys and like mittens were permanently attached to his hands. So she's been taking his toys since the very first time he picked up a block.
The times have changed a little though. These days he's catching up so he holds on to a lot more toys. Much to Leia's chagrin. Luke rarely cries when his toys dissapear into his sister's hand. Ironicly though, most of the crying occurs when he holds on to a toy. Leia does not take kindly at all to being thwarted. And it gets epicly bad when he takes one of her toys.
I haven't figured out how to handle it yet. Most of the time I take the toy away from the thief and give it back to the victim. Then the thief shakes a fist in my face while the victim decides to play with something else instead. I'm sorely tempted to stay out of it and let them resolve it between the two of them, but that turns Lord of the Flies in the blink of an eye. A slap fight between one year olds is a strange blend of hilarious and epicly sad all rolled into one.
posted by W at 8:38 AM
3 Comments:
stumbled onto your blog because of the imagined yet unrealized rain barrel system. read a few more posts. as a fellow engineer and a thinker in need of an occasional brain laxative, i thoroughly enjoyed the random walks through your mind -- the contemplation of child behavior, the struggle with blog vs facebook vs twitter as parenthood places premiums on free time. it's been 4 months since your last post. here's a word of encouragement, if you need it. otherwise, have fun with the kids and the no-rain barrels.
Great story as for me. I'd like to read more about this matter.
By the way check the design I've made myself High class escort
Great post! Nothing like happy toddlers to brighten your day. I realise you haven't updated here in a little while now, but perhaps I could persuade you to give your blog a second life over at glipho.com? We're a new social blogging site, and I know our users would love to read through your work here. Let me know what you think!
All the best,
Teo
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