Parenting Fun!

I finally got around to weeding my gardens and planting flowers today. I am sore and tired and who knew that no StairMaster was required for a sore bum and thighs! Of course the boys wanted to help and fought too many times over the hose. Sean has always loved gardening - I think the dirt appeals to him more than the plants! And the bugs, he collected tons of bugs. His favorites right now are what he call Armadillo bugs - we used to call them Pill bugs. But they do look like armadillos!

You know I had to google pill bugs! I found this at www.northern.edu - "Pillbugs, also known as sowbugs, or woodlice, are familiar backyard creepy crawlies to most of us. Pillbugs are correctly classified as terrestrial Isopods, and belong to the Class Crustacea. Familiar crustaceans include lobsters, crabs, shrimp, and daphnia (water fleas). The crustaceans, in turn, are part of a larger group, Arthropoda, or jointed-legged animals. All arthropods have a tough outer cuticle, a trunk divided into segments, and limbs which, because of their stiff cuticle, articulate about flexible joints." I would have never guessed that the were related to lobsters and shrimp!

He only wanted to plant the yellow "dandelions" as he called the marigolds! When they were all planted he picked out a small pink impatient that he liked and planted it. First of all, he totally maimed it trying to get it out of the plastic pot. Then he dug a hole about two inches deep and stuffed the roots in until he had made it fit. Next he piled on some dirt to make up for the fact that his hole should have been a few more inches deep. He topped it off by watering it so hard that most of the flowers popped off. But he was so proud of himself that I didn't say a word. What is the sacrifice of one plant compared to the happiness of a child?

He soon tired of this and went inside to find a TV show to blankly stare at. I finished working in the one flower bed and moved over to where he had butchered his plant. I took it out gently and began to weed and rake the bed. I put a few more flowers in and then replaced his plant in a little bit different spot. He came out to check on his plant and started jumping up and down. At first I thought he had discovered that I moved it and was now mad at me. But, no, that couldn't be it because he was so happy!

Then he pointed at a pink zinnia that was about six inches taller than the impatient that he planted. Brian Sr. caught on quicker than I did and said, "Sean you did such a great job with your flower that if grew and grew!" Sean could now barely control himself and ran into get Brian. Brian ran out and when he heard the story he kept looking to his Dad and I. He knew something was up but didn't totally rule it out either! Even if we didn't fool him, he was nice enough to play along and not ruin it for Sean.

Sean went outside to see if it had grown any more about ten more times tonight! What good is it having kids if you cannot have a little fun now and then. The harmless kind of course!