Kids do the Darndest things

Ever had one of those moments in life where you become convinced that there will be a 20/20 interview in your future? Those times when you are certain that something has gone horribly wrong in your child's life, your parenting has been completely for naught, the universe is spinning off it's axis......but I digress.

When Sam was around 5 yrs. old he and older brother Brad and some friends went down the street to play baseball at the elementary school. I was in a neighbors front yard chatting and could sort of* see the group of them.

*if I squinted and craned my neck, I could see life forms playing on green stuff.

After awhile Sam ran by us (yelled that he had to "get something") and on into the house. A few minutes later he came out and started back towards the playing field. As he walked past us, I noticed a rather large bump on his back under his clothes and casually asked him about it. At first he replied that it was nothing but when pressed he pulled out....AN AXE (eek). When I asked him why (IN THE WORLD) was he taking an axe (AN AXE) down to the school....he said that there were some "mean boys" bothering them. My mind is a blur as to whether he said anything beyond the mean boys bothering them, as in what he intended to do with the AXE he was carrying....threaten? ...wave it around?.....cut off appendages?

I calmly/embarrassingly told Sam to put the axe back in the tool shed and went down the street and brought the boys home to play in our yard....and mentally prepared for future interviews ("he was such a nice boy"...."I drank during my pregnancy"....."he's adopted")

I will end this tale with assurances to mothers everywhere the news that Sam has reached the age of 20 with no police record, is amazingly kind to animals, and tho his chosen career now involves carrying a rifle he is at least wielding it in defense of his country.

The moral of the story is.....God SO has a sense of humor

(and if you have children in your house, hide anything that can be used as a weapon).

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Update on Army Sam - He has written 19 (I counted) letters to us (bored or homesick?) and has requested that we write back in almost every single one. We now go to the mailbox in anticipation of another letter and are disappointed when we come back empty-handed. He is doing well in training (as expected:) hates the humidity in Georgia but is having no problem with the heat unlike some of his comrades from Minnesota (being raised in the valley finally has it's advantages). He thoroughly enjoyed the rope course and the rappelling, not so much the forced marches in pouring rain. He says the Drill Sergeants seem to be easing up a bit tho they do still get 'smoked' (physical punishment for someone in the platoon screwing up). He complains about being hungry most of the time (not used to only getting to eat 3x a day) but that the food is good. A week ago they even got dessert (cake) for a few days until several guys started eating it before their dinner...then they got it taken away (which Sam says was fine with him because, "cake is unhealthy").

We miss him immensely and can't wait to see him in Sept.