I Forgot About This Story

I forgot to write about this story at the beginning of the week with the boys.

Scene: two little boys playing on a trampoline. I am 10 feet away. I turn my back for like, 1 second and immediately hear, "ouch! He kicked me!.... It was an accident.... He kicked me!"

I spin around and stare at the boys. They freeze, unsure of what I'm going to do.

"Are you injured? Is any part of you hurt?" I ask the 4 year old

"No, but he kicked me" -4 year old.... "It was an accident" -6 year old

I hold up my hand and they both freeze.

"Well, kick him back and then you'll be even." -me

Stunned silence. They both stare at me, unmoving. On their faces is an expression that, even for little boys, clearly says, "what were mom and dad thinking? Who is this person and is she qualified to be watching us?"

After, I am not exaggerating, 20 seconds of no movement or sound, I say, "You guys need to be careful when you play and you need to be kind to each other. Can you play nicely?"

They both nod.

"Okay, play."

They went back to playing and I didn't hear, "he ______ to me" for the rest of the week. Maybe they're the sweetest kids alive or maybe I rock at conflict resolution. I don't know. But it was an easy week for behavior.