Lessons Learned #4
When the twins were a few months old, my good friend Janet delivered her first child. A son named Rodney. Like most babies, he figured out quickly that he liked a lot of attention and mostly at night. It was a beautiful morning, so I put the kids (all 4) in the wagon and walked to Janet’s house. As we got near my daughter Donna said, Rodney’s not happy. Donna was pretty sharp at age 4 but I think the screams gave her a clue.
I told the kids to stay in the wagon and I went in the house. Janet was near tears herself, so I asked if I could have Rodney for a couple of hours. I think she threw him, but I had good reflexes, and everything turned out fine. He bounced on my hip while we walked home, and curiosity took place of tears.
At home, I put the babies in the playpen, and got out all the toys for Kenny and Donna. I had bribed them with the promise of ice cream if they entertained the babies. I should have given the ice cream to the twins. They poked, giggled, intimidated, and chewed on Rodney’s toes until his Dad rescued him.
Lesson #4: Nothing works better than intimidation or foot massage.