“Room clean?”
“Yes, dad.”
“Good grade on your test?”
“Yes, dad.”
“Treat your classmates and teachers with respect today?”
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“Yes, dad.”
He answers each without a trace of annoyance, Silas having taught him the value of rules and rewards from an early age. It seems I’m the only one who enjoys breaking rules and the punishments they result in.
Somewhat counterintuitively, Silas never spanks our children though, or lays a hand on them in any way other than to show his love and affection, which makes sense because his look and voice alone can be punishment enough. I know. Making our kids stand in the corner, write sentences, or extra chores? Absolutely.
Sawyer’s little brother, Sebastian, comes out of the kitchen with icing all over his face.
“Happy birthday!”
Silas and I just look at each other, before I voice the obvious. “Guess it’s time for the angel food birthday cake.”
“Angel food? You made me an angel food cake?”
“For my angel on his birthday? You betcha!”
He gives me a big hug and goes running off into the kitchen while Silas and I quickly check on a sleeping Sofia.
“Wonder if he knows you’re my little angel,” Silas says, sneaking up from behind me when I’m standing at the edge of the crib.
“Silas,” I slap his hand away. “Let’s leave the little play for later.”
I can feel him kiss the back of my neck and I carefully slide out of his grasp, put my thumb on my nose and wiggle my fingers at him while I stick out my tongue.
“Looks like you’re already there,” he winks.
Sofia suddenly starts giggling, watching me make funny faces at her daddy, and my Daddy too, but in very, very, very different ways.
Silas takes my hand and we walk into the living room, seeing that Silas has already cut himself a piece of birthday cake that’s so big it’s literally hanging over the edge of his plate as he sits on the couch as the opening credits to The Jungle Book roll.
Silas’s mouth opens, and I quickly put my hand in front of it before he can say anything.
“He’s breaking every rule in the book,” I say. “It’s his birthday. The only book that matters today is The Jungle Book. We all need to get a little crazy sometimes, right? Getting crazy from time to time is the only way to stay sane.”
The ready to discipline parental look slowly washes from Silas face and he simply says, “You know what. You’re right. Rules were meant to be broken, sometimes. And by sometimes I mean pretty much never.”
“I agree, but in this case…”
Silas brings his hands to his eyes as if he doesn’t see the rules being broken so no harm, no foul.
But it doesn’t work that way. “Mom. Dad. Will you watch the movie with me? Sebastian too, and maybe we can wheel Sofia’s crib in the living room. It’s my birthday, please.”
“You know what?” Silas asks.
“What?”
“I think I’m going to eat a big ol‘ piece of cake on the couch too.”