Temper Run

A toy truck crashes into the wall, a sneaker hits me in the calf, and my ears ring from high pitched shrieks.  How can small creatures have such big lungs? 

Time out, take a deep breath, pretty please, and not pretty please have all failed to make the wail cease.  ”Son, let’s take it outside.”

The fence is the starting line, the lawn chair is turn one, the lemon tree is turn two and then it is an open sprint back to the fence.  “On your marks, get set, go!”

This actually works.  Screams have been turned into determined trotting toddler feet.  “Go, go! Push it in!”  He smacks into the fence with pride.

This game is not to my credit.  My husband has used it on me for years, “You’re being unreasonable, go for a run or something!”  Call it taming of the running shrew or the temper tempo run, good for kids maybe even better for adults. 

However, prescribe with caution.  Last night after the kids run at the beach, this clever drill created a naked child covered head to toe in ice cream and sand screaming at seagulls and trying to run out to sea.  Hopefully there would be a different set of side effects in adults.

~ by drea on June 19, 2008.