Get the Bad Guys

My wife needed to go to the grocery store, and, consistent with our "divide and conquer" approach to parenting, decided to take our toddler while I put the other two to bed. Our son was jealous, resulting in some bribery involving ice cream and a promise to play "get the bad guys" together in order to convince him to stay (apparently, time alone with me isn't very appealing without these kinds of incentives).  But, as frequently happens, time got away from us. He got his ice cream (so did I), but by the time I finished bathing, feeding, and tucking in the baby, it was too late to start a game of "get the bad guys." Then, the memory of a lecture I recently gave my son about keeping his promise to eat dinner flashed through my mind. Though time at night to get personal things done is truly valuable, a promise kept is even more so. So, armed with a stuffed sword and a construction helmet, I teamed up with my son, who wielded his trusty green recorder and a foam shield, and together we fought the bad guys. It was actually a lot of fun. There's nothing like winning a battle to help you sleep well at night.