Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Thanks for that info

Yesterday was a holiday for most of the world, including Mark's school. I, however, did not get the day off. While I pondered how to stave off Mark's boredom, my mom very generously offered to drive up and watch him.

Mark loves our family, so he was thrilled. Not as thrilled as he would've been to watch T.V. all day while I worked at home, but still pretty excited.

Because I didn't have to take Mark to school or drive to work, I got to sleep in late, which was also a little bonus. But as I passed Mark's room, I was surprised to see he was still sleeping, too.

I stopped ever so briefly to smile at how sweet he looked asleep. I moved silently away from the door, and then heard him announce, "In case you're wondering if I'm still asleep, I'm not. I got up earlier, but Grandma sent me back to bed."

I poked my head back through the doorway. "She did?" I asked.

"Yup," he answered, crawling out of bed. He put on his slippers and slid past me with a gigantic sigh.

The whole scenario just struck me funny; I couldn't help giggling.

"You sent him back to bed?" I asked my mom.

She nodded. "It wasn't a punishment," she explained. "It's just cold and rainy, and he's got the day off. I thought he'd want to sleep in."

I watched him walk silently to the T.V. and grab the remote. Within seconds, cartoon voices filled the air.

And it was then I realized sleeping in is only a gift if you're an adult. For anybody under 10, it's complete torture because it separates you from the cartoons. In fact, it's more than tortuous, it's downright cruel.

Luckily, Mark's a tough kid and can survive the occasional bout of cruelty. Turns out the anti-dote to cartoon deprivation is quite simple; an hour and a half of uninterrupted viewing, in pajamas, all wrapped up tight in a warm blanket.

If only the rest of life's problems could be fixed so easily...

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