Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Attemp #432 to encourage kid-napping

Decided to take the Tiger on a stroll pre-nap yesterday since the temperature outside was mildly tolerable - at least there was a breeze. I thought perhaps the exercise might grant us more success in this otherwise futile endeavor we play at each afternoon. So, we loaded up Declan in the stroller, attached a "leash" to the stroller for Madigan to "steer" with and off we went. The walk was wonderful for the first half. Madigan trotted along happily, remarking about the mailboxes, flowers, UPS trucks, trashcans, airplanes, barking dogs, cement cracks, etc. Then, we rounded the corner which signified that we were exactly half way through our walk. He did an about-face and started pulling us all in the opposite direction, yelling "Done, done, done." He was absolutely adamant that home was not to be had for a good long while. I sat down on the ground next to him and tried to explain with calm and reason why we would be headed home - heat, Declan needing a nap, mommy needing water, everyone being tired. He collapsed in a fit of tears and rage. So, I picked him up, placed him in the stroller next to Declan, buckled him in and pretended not to notice the neighbors who were at this point peering out their windows to see who was torturing the child outside. Then... the thud on the ground as Madigan leaped from the moving stroller in one last dramatic effort to make his intentions known (because clearly the blood curdling scream wasn't having the anticipated effect). By this time Declan was also crying from fatigue and frustration and I was close to following suit. Somehow my overheated self managed to package up the raging Tiger back into the stroller (which he was less inclined to jump out of after incident #1), hand a bottle of milk to Declan in some pathetic effort to temporarily placate him, and throw myself into a quick sprint homeward. I can now safely declare that our pre-nap walks have been postponed indefinitely until cooler weather settles into our valley, Tigers recognize that the last 50% of the walk is not the enemy, and I include a 5 gallon bucket of water to soothe hot tempers, and thirsty mouths.

I am happy to report that we all took delicious naps following the ordeal, however.

Okay, I'm off to sweep up the dried lentils poured all over the entryway...

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