Off the Naughty List

Over Christmas break, this Random family spent a week at my parents house. Luckily, we have a very good relationship with my folks or ten people living in a four bedroom house for nine days would have been unbearable. As it was, the week seemed like an exercise in insanity some days, most days -- not the straight-jacket, gnashing of teeth, heavily medicated insanity but the more benign and gentle insanity that invites everyone to go happily mad together.

Because my brother-in-law works nights, my sister and their nearly three year old daughter, Bizzy, were also staying at my parents' place for the balance of the week. You already know my views on three year olds but I have to say Bizzy is the exception. The kid has a wicked sense of humour, loves to tease and is generally in a good mood. Lately though, Bizzy has been trying my sister's patience.

We were witness to a couple of melt-downs and more than a few power struggles between Bizzy and her parents. On evening in particular, my sister and Bizzy were duking it out upstairs while my mom and I were in the living room. We couldn't help but hear the exchange between them. After a few minutes of hearing Bizzy stubbornly cry that she was not going to obey and recognizing the growing frustration in my sister's voice my mom turned to me and said, "I want to go up there and rescue poor Bizzy!" I laughed and said, "I want to go up there to rescue poor Bizzy's mom!"

Eventually, my sister won.

The next day, I was in the family room with the kids. They had made a bit of a mess and I asked them to clean up before dinner. My kids whined and denied any part of the mess-making while Bizzy got up and quietly went about the room picking up toys and dropping them into the bin. Reluctantly, Mischief and Crafty helped her finish the job. When I deemed the room clean enough the kids took off to wreak havoc in another area of the house. Bizzy, with her short legs and toddler waddle wasn't quite as quick as the big kids and was left behind.

"Bizzy."

"What?"

"You did a good job cleaning up, thank you!"

She beamed back at me and rubbed the imaginary dust off her hands, "Then I'm off the Naughty List!" with that she toddled around the corner to join the other kids.

Yes, you are Bizzy, but pace yourself...Christmas is still 355 days away!