They Know You

On last week, our apartment complex had to work on the building's AC units, which led to them turning the systems off. With the temperature reading at mid and high 70's, our days and nights were pretty hot. My husband and I had a box fan in our bedroom that helped, but, unfortunately, my children did not. I wasn't comfortable with keeping their window opened at night (afraid of the kidnappers and burglars I imagined would crawl into their bedroom), so in the middle of October, I decided to hunt down a fan for my children's bedroom. What a hunt it was!

I am originally from Florida- the Sunshine State- where it rarely gets cold. Well... not the kind of cold we've experienced up north. I currently live in Maryland, and believe me when I tell you I didn't know what cold was until I'd experienced my first winter here two years ago. In Florida, you enjoy the sunny weather year round, so spotting a fan at a store wasn't a rare occurrence. Imagine our surprise when we found out that fans were considered a seasonal item up here. Who would have thought, right?

Anyways... walking around my third department store within two hours, I was reaching that fine line of frustration. It shouldn't be this hard to find a fan, I thought to myself. My plan was to walk into the first department store, find exactly what I needed, and be on about my day. Ugh, I hate when my day doesn't go as planned (although, you'd think I'll be used to it with two toddlers).

Thinking out loud, I said, "I guess I could just put your beds in my room".

A thoughtful look came across my threenager's face before she said, "I think Daddy would be mad about that".

I laughed because she was absolutely correct. Well, I wouldn't say hubby would have been mad about the arrangement, but he surely wouldn't have been too pleased.

She did take me by surprise, though. I wasn't expecting her to be as perceptive as to know what we (her parents) would and would not like. I wouldn't have thought this little three-year-old would have taken the time to think about the effects of the situation. I mean, I did know my husband would have had a slight discomfort about it, but I knew he would have allowed it if I asked him (he really is an amazing father).

I totally understand that children are like sponges; they soak up everything they hear and see, and spit it right back at you. I just wasn't ready for this toddler to process 'cause and effect'. I guess I shouldn't be too surprised with what they do. They really are little people stuck inside little bodies.