Bringing Up Boys

The other day, as I was getting Caedmon dressed for school, Sammy had a toy that Caedmon wanted to play with. Of course it was a piece of junk toy that we've had forever, got for free at some carnival, and Caedmon hasn't thought twice about since. But Sammy had it and so Caedmon wanted it. (The toy was a miniature skateboard, about the same size as a matchbox car.)

I've been teaching Caedmon that he can create a win/win situation by finding a toy that Sammy would enjoy and offering him that toy as a trade. Most of the time this works well, as Sammy is easily distracted and easy to entertain.

On this particular morning, Caedmon decided to try out this method of "peacemaking". Well, kind of. He snatched the skateboard out of Sammy's hand before remembering to provide an alternative toy for his brother. So he ran to his room (wearing just a pair of underwear) to get a car to offer Sammy and instead came back with two cars but no skateboard. He handed Sammy the cars. And then. He pulled the skateboard out of his underwear while explaining to me that his hands were full and he needed a place to carry the skateboard.

At least he's resourceful, right?