Funny Josh Stuff

Josh, the absolutely drop-dead cutie-pie in the pictures on the right, is ALWAYS entertaining. I'm sure all parents think their children are one-in-a-million when it comes to their personalities, and I'm no different. A thousand times a day I soak up things he does, things he says, and all the cute things that just make Josh Josh.

Last week, Josh was throwing a fit. He's three, there's nothing startling there. Our house rule is that if there's an irrestible urge to throw a fit, it must be done in the bathroom. As long as you're inside the four walls of the bathroom, anything goes. Scream, pitch a fit to your heart's content, throw yourself on your stomach and pound your little fists on the carpet 'till they turn red and scratchy. Whatever works for you, little one.

So, Josh was throwing a fit inside the bathroom. I was holding Kristyn, waiting for Josh to finish, and then...he broke the rule. He came outside of the bathroom and BROUGHT THE FIT WITH HIM. Big no-no. As he stood in front of me with his little fists clenched and the angriest face he could make (to let me know he was "weally weally mad"), a horrible thing happened: Kristyn looked at him, her little lip and chin quivered, and she started crying.

"Josh!" I said, talking loudly so I could be heard over the tantrum, "Kristyn is really scared! You're scaring her with your face and your voice - STOP IT NOW!" And then, in mid-tirade, he froze, looked at her, and instantly pasted the sweet smile of an angel on his face.

"Kwistyn," he said, in his sweet big brother voice, "it's okay. I'm not mad at you... (his eyes cut over to me) I'm mad at Mommy! It's HER fault."

Lovely.