Diaper Dodgeball

My husband says to the kids, "It's bedtime!" Need I say more? Why is ten minutes until bed time a free invitation for Dad's to make the kids hyper? What a great time to wrestle! Jumping on the beds, no problem! A little tackle football - why not? It makes me want to scream! Hasn't he read the parenting books? Doesn't he know they need to wind down and even TV can be too much stimulation before they go to bed? Just joking - even I don't buy that one. TV turns my kids into deaf, mute zombies.

Actually, TV has the same effect on my husband. I have to constantly yell at him for this. I can understand tie score in a game with thirty seconds to go. But what about when he is watching a cartoon episode that even I have seen parts of at least ten times? How can that be so fascinating that you cannot respond to me? Maybe the rough-housing is because he needs to wake himself up from the TV in order to get the boys into bed!

A favorite game at bedtime for them is diaper dodge ball. It is loads of fun. First you take the dirty diaper off the youngest family member and secure it tightly like a little package. If you change diapers a lot - you are no doubt a professional at this! Only use wet diapers - the risk of anything leaking out of the other kind is too great! And never use pull-ups, they don't secure tight enough and it is next to impossible to remove that super absorbent gel from the carpet once it has been stomped in. I would rather get gum out of their hair! If you have no more kids in diapers you may substitute anything that causes your kids to run wildly through the house!

To begin the game, you tell the kids to run like crazed lunatics throughout the living room and dining room. So what if running in the house is not allowed - Dad is in charge! When the targets, I mean kids, start moving, you throw the diaper at them. My husband thinks it is really fun to hit their feet and knock them flat on their faces! I think it relieves some tension and frustration for him! I have no idea why they giggle at having their mouths full of carpet and rug burns on their knees.

They kids have some other variables in the game. The dog is racing at full speed to try to retrieve the diaper ball. He sometimes takes out a kid on the way. And sometimes for fun, Dad will mix it up a little and throw pillows at them. Then there is the bounce around the corner move. The boys like to go and hide around the corner in the bathroom and kitchen, so Brian has to try to ricochet it in there. This means he tries to pick a good spot on the wall to throw the diaper at as hard as he can, in hopes that it makes it around the corner! Sometimes the diaper explodes on impact - another reason to only use wet diapers. According to my husband the wetter, the better - because that means they are heavier and hit harder!

I don't see what is wrong with a warm soak in the tub and a quiet book. Then a few questions about their day and a hug and kiss. They seem to respond well to this when I put them to bed. And the fact is that they respond well to Dad putting them to bed too. It might be a little more crazy but Brian can deal with that. I like a little more order and semblance in my life.

I guess that is why we make a good parenting team. The kids get the best of both worlds and I believe they are better for it. Some organizational skills from Mom and how to jump from one bed to the other without breaking your neck from Dad. I guess the diaper dodging will help them on the playground too! And I will admit that the laughter it evokes from the kids is definitely contagious!