a special week...

My grandson, Charlie, didn't know me. My other grandson, Will, was too little to care. I was asked to babysit this week and wondered how it would go considering, most of Charlie's life I've been very sick. Charlie knows me with zero energy and bald as a cue ball. I must have seemed awfully strange to him, but I didn't have much choice.

I feel energized this week and I'm not sure if it is a gift of nature or just dumb luck. It might be because I've gone to bed at 9:00 pm - an hour after I get Charlie and Will down, but I have to smile when I realize what a precious gift I'd received over the last few days. Most of it is that Charlie, who is a brilliant, adorable handful had a really good time with me. My kids will tell you that I am creative, and am so out-of-the-box that I'm pretty sure I don't even own one. I'm forgetful, leave dishes in the sink, ignore expiration labels on milk, don't care about rules so much, and am generally a loose cannon. With kids..I'm easy-going (too easy) and allow things that most parents wouldn't, like throwing balls in the house or taking apart the pillows from all the furniture, not making a bed for a week, building elaborate forts, leaving pajamas on all day, spending half of a summer morning playing airplane with their belly on my feet, or taking every pot and pan out on my kitchen floor and playing with with rice or flour. It may take hours to clean up but the memories are priceless jewels. I pride myself on fun and patience, but also *here it comes* I do not take one single ounce of three-year-old shenanigans. For a three year-old being fun but super strict is the recipe for happiness. I don't say no very often, but when I do it isn't just no... it is HELL no. Charlie gave me the ULTIMATE compliment tonight. He is very, very close to his parents and adore them... but, after three days away from them, he asked,

 "Hey, Non... can I come to you house?"

Such a gift. Maybe it was the way he said it, but after a trying day with a strong-willed delightful boy... I wanted to melt into the floor.

addendum: no more balls in the house. Charlie has a better arm and is a bit more stubborn than my kids. You live and learn.