Apples Don't Fall Far From the Tree

On Saturday we ventured to Towson Town Center to finish our Christmas shopping. My wife woke me up at 6:30 am and told me we had to hurry up and get going. To do what? Get there before the people that work there got there?

I dragged my donkey around long enough that we didn't have the kids ready until 8:30-ish. We got to the mall a little after 9am. It wasn't too crowded. I think my wife feared massive hyper shoppers knocking people over laying havoc in their wake.

During one of her scheduled feedings of our 4 month old daughter, I took my son and daughter for a walk around the mall. We ventured over to the Rain Forest Cafe to check out the crocodile in the pond. My son was all excited to go see it ----until we got there. All of a sudden, you'd think I was taking him into a slaughter house, or worse yet, a Democratic Convention rally.

He no longer wanted to eat lunch there. Time passed and we reconnoitered with my wife. It was about 10:30. My wife was now being harassed by my daughter because she wanted to eat lunch there. My son became very anxious. We decided to go there for lunch, but we'd look at the fish tanks for a while to calm him down. He finally agreed to go in. We had a great lunch. He held his fingers in his ears for much of the time, but I think he was surprised that no monster (or Democrats) attacked him.

After we left, my wife told my son that she was very proud of him for being brave and also for not complaining while we were at the restaurant. A few seconds later we passed a cellphone kiosk. He turns to us and says, "Since you're so proud of me you should get me a cellphone!" Seriously? Is this child mine?

Later that day my niece is over at my house. He gets outs his GEOTracks train set. He says, "Hey, Sophia, do you want to play with trains?" "Okay", she says. "Okay, go ahead" and he walks away. Calgon, take him away!!!