Reason #302: Soothing The Savage Beast

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The father of a daughter is nothing but a high-class hostage. 
A father turns a stony face to his sons, berates them, shakes his antlers, 
paws the ground, snorts, runs them off into the underbrush, 
but when his daughter puts her arm over his shoulder and says, 
"Daddy, I need to ask you something," he is a pat of butter in a hot frying pan.
-- Garrison Keillor

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It's no secret I've been sick.  Today was no better, so I finally broke down and went to the doctor.  While I was gone, apparently quite a storm brewed in our house, and it's name is Malea.  

I returned home, good meds in hand, to hear only screaming coming from the house.  Aaron came out to help bring in the groceries and his especially helpfulness and slightly messy hair, told me my absence had not gone well.  As I stepped into chaos, Maddie was attempting to calm Malea but she was face down on the floor howling and having a huge fit.   

"It didn't go well while you were gone," Aaron said.  Hmmm...really?  I hadn't guessed that.
 
As soon as Malea saw me, she ran to me with her arms up in the air and grunting.  I did recognize this as the let me charm you before daddy tells you what I did routine.  

"What happened, Madison?"  Yes, ask the older child.  She's not yet old enough to fake what happened, nor to blow it astronomically out of proportion.  Too late.
 
"What happened?"  Aaron interrupted.  "Well, let's see.  Malea turned Sadie's dog bowl over not once but three times.  She then turned over her food bowl when I fed her.  Sadie ate so fast that she threw up under the table.  I just got that cleaned up and then she went for the water bowl again."

I looked at Malea, big brown eyes filled with "not me mommy" looks.  I picked her up and realized, oh man, a storm had certainly brewed while I was gone and it might have been about an F3 tornado.  The sleeve of her sweatshirt was wet as was one entire leg of her pants.  He wasn't fibbing about the water bowl thing.  She nuzzled into me, gave that last little sigh after having cried for a while, turned and gave me a kiss and then ran off to play...quietly, I dare to add. 
  
"I don't know what I do," said Aaron, "but apparently you have way more control when you are home.  It's been crazy the entire time you were gone.  I don't know what you do differently, but it doesn't get like this when you are home."

Fighting the urge to pat myself on the back, I thought crazy?  Well, I'm sure by Aaron's standards it was.  So, for now I'll continue to calm our savage beast.  At least until we hit the terrible twos.   

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