Party Day!

Today is the day of our big Christmas Party. I was going to tell the story about the one time a guest brought something to the party that well, but then Kat said I should save that story until AFTER the party otherwise someone might take it as a challenge, or worse. So I am refraining.

Last night at dinner I asked both the boys what their favorite Christmas memories were. Matthew said his was the year he went to sleep and everyone stayed up watching movies, and then woke up at 1am and watched Unaccompanied Minors. (SEE? I told you!)

Paul said his favorite Christmas memory is the year he got a remote control puppy. I think that was in 2001. Paul’s uncle Clyde and aunt Christie had purchased a remote control puppy for hi, This was an old school version where there was a cord connecting the puppy to the controller. Paul really enjoyed paying with it on the hardwood floors of the hose we were living in. HE must have played with it every day for a week.

Eventually the batteries ran out and it stopped working. I told him to put it up and I would get him new batteries. Instead he took it to his room and used scissors to cut the cord off from the puppy and off of the remove. Then he very carefully cut the cord into one inch pieces. He was pretty pleased with himself when he showed me what he had done. He figured when we got the battery the puppy would be a radio controlled puppy. He was quite disappointed when we finally made him understand that it was not going to work like that and that his puppy was never going to work again.

I asked Paul what that memory taught him. I was hoping for some childlike insight into consequences of his actions. Instead I got “remote control puppies with a wire are hard to find in a toy store when you messed up the one you were given and want to get a new one” Not what I was looking for, but insightful nonetheless.