My nephew Reed has the face of an angel, doesn’t he? Well, you know what they say about looks…
This is the boy who, several days before Christmas, unwrapped half a dozen presents that his mother had carefully wrapped. Not only packages with his name on them, but gifts for his father, his brother, his Uncle Paul and his Aunt Kimberly. He took a pair of scissors to each package’s ribbons (why bother untying bows?), then pulled off all of the wrapping paper.
Was this innocent, youthful curiosity, or did Reed know he was doing something wrong? You be the judge: His mother spied him carrying two wrapped Christmas presents away from the Christmas tree. When she called to him, he did not respond. Rather, he took off at a run, disappearing into the utility room at the back of the house. There she caught up to him, surrounded by the evidence.
(Despite her best efforts, Aunt Kimberly laughed when she heard this story. His mother, needless to say, was Not Amused. Aunt Kimberly did apologize to her sister for laughing.)
Sadly, a mother’s displeasure is not sufficient for the development of impulse control in a young child. A couple of days later, Reed unwrapped three more packages. His grandmother began to guard her Christmas tree when he was around.
Finally, Christmas arrived. All of the presents were unwrapped by their proper recipients. Temptation was removed. And Reed was once again the little angel that he appears to be… Oh, who am I kidding? He’s a 3-year-old boy. He’ll test his mother — and her patience — many times in the coming years.
I’m sure this sweet smile will come in handy.
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3 responses so far ↓
It sounds like Reed has already learned the maxim that will become very useful in everyday life:
It is always easier to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission!
He is adorable. And of course, I can say from a distance that his unwrapping all the presents (with scissors, no less!) is adorable too. I would have laughed.
I hope you had a wonderful Christmas! More coffee in the new year, okay?
Wow. It really is the angel-faced ones for whom one must look out. Now that I know the story of the Christmas presents, I’m thinking of Reed wearing the same expression when he’s about 12, deciding to take the toaster apart just to see how it works. Tell his mom to keep a close eye on her car keys.
Happy New Year, lovely Kimberly. I don’t suppose there’s room for three for coffee?