Honeymoon

As my cousin and his wife celebrate their 10 year anniversary on the beach's of Hawaii, I think the honeymoon period with me and the little boys has ended. Prior to my arrival, they hadn't seen me since they were 2 and 4, so I was basically a stranger. At camp, newness+ unsureness= perfect behavior for at least 3 or 4 days. I assumed it would be the same with them. They've been happy and having fun, cuddled on my lap and goofy as can be, but they weren't comfortable enough to try anything. Until last night.

Now let me be clear, these are the sweetest, most well behaved kids on the planet. So when I say "misbehave" I'm talking about minor infractions. Playing around instead of eating dinner, saying, "poopie head" 17 times after I asked them to stop. Not exactly punishable offenses, but annoying nonetheless.

I briefly pondered how mad their parents would be if I taught them what the phrase "atomic wedgie" meant, but then I remembered that it was their dad who taught me that in the first place, and just because we're adults now, he's still my big cousin and those are his kids.

And so I put hours and hours of professional development to use and kicked into "super camp director mode". Poor little boys, they didn't stand a chance. Two things they should have known-

1. I work with kids. Lots of kids. Kids on medication for behavior problems. Kids from screwed up families. Teenagers. J and S can scuff up their halos all they want, they couldn't even imagine half the things I've seen kids their age do and they're still angels.
2. For the past 4 months, I've been locked in a fierce battle of wills with a bulldog puppy, ie- the most stubborn being on the planet. Until they go potty on the floor, tear something up with their teeth, run away from me or bite me, they've got nothing on the fat puppy. My patience has become rock solid, I daresay nearly as impressive as my best friend, the third grade teacher. Yeah, that good.

And so I went to work.

Step one- Tempt.

Step two- Distract.

Step three- Engage.

Step four- There is no step four. By that time, they were putty in my hands.

Super camp director mode involves intense playing- running, jumping out from around corners, screaming, growling (I have a great monster impression), chasing, endless chasing, a few toilet jokes thrown in for good measure, and having a new, interesting, "better than ever before" idea every 15-20 minutes. And it ends with me falling into bed at 8:32pm. But it was worth it. Silly boys, game on.