What Mom Couldn't Do

It's now spring in Minnesota. This usually means 2 things: wind or rain, neither one terribly conducive to outside play. Yesterday, however, was nice. Because of this non-rainy, non-windy spring day Michael and Andrew decided they should explore the great outdoors. And, because we've been cooped up in the house for far too many months while Mother Nature hurls yucky weather at us, I whole-heartedly agreed with the boys' idea of outside exploration. So out the door they went and I breathed a sigh of relief and settled onto the couch for some real quiet time, accentuated by a good book. Simply heaven.

Now, even though we live on a farm, way off the road, far from any traffic, I still check on the boys every few minutes. Because, well.....they are BOYS. They WILL find a way to get into trouble or get themselves hurt.....it's a given.

A few minutes after my mischevious men stepped out the door I peeked out the window to see what's what out there. I located the 2 boys in question across the yard, over in the sandbox. Nothing seemed out of place, and I was just about to resume my state of tranquility on the couch, when I saw it:

Andrew was standing on the top platform of his Little Tykes slide. Then I see him sit down & skooch his tushie toward the top of the slide. It almost looked like he might actually, possibly, maybe go down the slide without help!

Ok, maybe a little background would help. Andrew will absolutely, positively NOT go up the platforms or down the slide without my coaxing/begging/pleading. He just won't. And now I know why. I'm not Michael. It's really just that simple.

So back to the story. Andrew is sitting atop his slide with his little tushie on the edge. His ever-devoted brother, Michael, is standing at the bottom. I see that Michael is motioning to Andrew to push off and slide down. I think to myself, 'Yeah right! I've been trying for the equivelant of 3 months to get that kid down a slide on his own.....no way he's gonna do it!' The thought wasn't even finished in my head when I saw Andrew the Daredevil give himself a shove & down he goes! Did you feel the Earth shimmy as my jaw hit the floor??

Michael had succeeded to do, in less than a minute, what Mom couldn't accomplish in almost 3 months of trying. Dang! Out-smarted by the kids yet again!