There’s a lot of whining involved in being 3.  This is something that I probably knew when I was 3 but had thankfully forgotten until the last few years.  But whining aside, our oldest boy is pretty fearless (it’s a little scary, actually) and pretty tough.  Here he is going after his sister on Saturday…

Ahhhh…

So when he started howling outside the other day, my heart skipped a beat.  And when I looked up and his sister and brother were in the back yard and clearly not responsible for whatever happened, I really got worried.

I found him in this no-play zone beside the garage…

The trailer parking lot

Of course, they love to play there.  I’m not sure if it’s the climbing, the rocks, or just the thrill of the forbidden, but I am constantly chasing them out of here.  Usually the older two leave the little guy stranded when they hear me coming to check on them.

So I hustled my way across those rocks like a billy-goat mama to my crumpled up baby boy.  After a frantic search for blood or bones in the wrong places and repeating “WHAT HAPPENED!” over and over and over again here’s his story…

“The trailer hit me.”

What?

“The trailer hit me.”

You mean you fell and hit the trailer?

You know that look of total betrayal that only your kids can give you?  That “don’t you love me anymore?” look?  That “are you taking the trailer’s side?” look?

I got that look.

And you know that tone of voice that only little kids can have?  That “I thought I was the one still learning how to talk, not you” tone?  That “I’m not speaking Chinese” tone.  (Didn’t your mom say that to you when she was mad?) I got that tone.

“THE-TRAILER-HIT-ME-RIGHT-HERE.”

Ok.  Fair is fair.  I wasn’t there.  I didn’t see it.  I believe my boy over any cold, metal, inanimate object.  That trailer detached it’s tailight…

The taillight in question

…whacked him in the eye, and reattached itself before I got there.  “No hitting” is one of the 5 cardinal rules in our household.  That trailer is in time-out for hitting.  (It would also be in time-out for biting, screaming, kicking, or throwing, in case you were wondering).

Tough Guy got a black eye for his trouble (although the picture is actually a little more dramatic than real life)…

…and yes, I’m a mom, so I just couldn’t resist ending this situation with “That’s why we told you not to play over there.”  I bet your mom said that to you too!