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Unpleasant Surprise

In an instant I had a feeling of horror and dismay combined with a weird sort of pride and satisfaction, which unsettled me. Suffice it to say, the TV remote control has been put in the basket on top of the refrigerator until further notice.

Kenzo got a "new" shirt today. 


He was curious about it. He knew by the insignia on the front that it was a soccer uniform shirt, and he quickly did the math and figured out it was papa's soccer uniform shirt from when he was a little boy. He asked me about the name on the back and I told him that's what people called me a long time ago and that it's a Hungarian nickname that means "little bear," which delighted him. He said he's a little bear too, and then self-corrected and said he's actually a little monkey, which is definitely more accurate.

One of the boys' bus stop friends is moving, so Eri took the boys to play with him one last time before he goes off to his new neighborhood.



We also finally got pictures from Kenzo's snow play trip to Mt. Izumi a couple of months ago. Well, samples anyway. Eri ordered the good ones. The online photo sales racket is both amazing and expensive.


And totally worth it.

So it was a busy Friday and the boys, as is their way these days being 4 and 6 years old, resisted nap time. Kenzo usually just lays down and stares at the clock. Osamu conks out for a little bit, but now that it's getting warmer with springtime he gets hot and wakes up after about 30 minutes.

I started the bath after dinner and vacuumed the floor and gave my usual instructions to the boys as Eri cleaned up the kitchen and started washing dishes. 

The boys love each other, but they're also little boys. They have limited emotional intelligence when it comes to things like waiting and sharing.

I saw the whole thing transpire, though there was nothing I could have done to stop it unless I could see the future.

There was a disagreement among the boys about who was cleaning up what or who was going to the bathroom first. My instinct is to observe. Eri's motherly instinct is to intervene, so she did. And as I observed the interaction Kenzo got as incensed as a six-year-old can and clocked Osamu in the face.

It was a pretty clean punch. Luckily Kenzo is scrawny and Osamu is a bit husky. Osamu cried of course, but not because the punch hurt. It was just an unpleasant surprise.

There was a lot of parental chiding of course, with Eri consoling Osamu and me quietly but dramatically putting the TV remotes on top of the refrigerator.  All the while I had a feeling of horror and dismay at Kenzo's actions combined with a weird sort of pride and satisfaction with his ability to stand his ground, misguided as it was.

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