Tonight, during our nighttime wrap-up routine with the kids, Eli listened to his book with Mark while Marina sat on the floor with me drinking her bottle. The book was The Hungry Caterpillar and was made of a heavy cardboard. As soon it was over, Eli showed us the picture of the beautiful butterfly at the end, then paused, closed it and launched it at Marina. I was holding her with one hand and the other was steadying the bottle so I had no free hands to protect her. The book clocked her straight in the face. It was terrible. She started screaming immediately and soon after, she looked like Scar from The Lion King. My poor baby, minding her business one second and in horrible pain the next.
When we questioned Eli on why he made the choice to throw the book at her, he really couldn't say; just one of those impulses that couldn't be resisted.
So when it came to the disciplinary action in response to this violence, Mark thought of something that would be powerful enough to make an impact (he has been repeatedly warned about throwing things at people): Eli would no longer be able to watch Billy the Exterminator (or as Eli says Exstorminator). This was devastating for him.
What it means to his parents: for the next week, we may be free of our baby wipes boxes being used as traps for imaginary rodents, no more "natural oils" from chrysanthemum (I remember how to spell that from Anne of Green Gables) juices being sprayed on anything that moves, no more imagined yellow jacket attacks in the middle of dinner, and lastly (hopefully) the response to me showing him the trash that blew into our yard will not be "Oh Damn" uttered over and over.
I'm sorry about your face Marina, but your mom and dad may have a more peaceful week because of your sacrifice.
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