from Grandpa Tom (Part 1)

I have learned a lot from the boys. One of the things I've learned is their lives are made up of a series of chapters or episodes of learning. An event will take place and in five minutes they will go on to something else. It's like watching little encyclopedias grow and develop. In the past Reed would take out a half gal. of ice cream and begin eating out of the container. Now he brings it to me and asks me to give him some ice cream. So I get a couple of plates and give him and Hunter a couple of small portions of ice cream. On one occasion Reed asked me if he can have some more and I said "Of course". Hunter sometimes does not finish his. The first time I saw Reed eating out of the container I told him that that was the way to spread around germs. At that time I put the ice cream in a small bowl for him. I said, "See this way if you any cold germs you won't pass them on to your brother when he eats out of the same container" I don't know if that really sunk in but he does bring the ice cream to me and I put it in a bowl for him. I also found out that kids live in their known secret world, meaning they don't always tell you what they have been up to. The reason I don't say much about these happenings is it takes time to write about them. For the most part, the time spent with the kids is usually uneventful, except for an occasional flare up between them.

Sometimes they like to retreat into their secret world. That is a world devoid of adults. Reed usually clues me in by saying, "You can go now, Grandpa". So I usually respect his wishes but I do check on them from time to time, if they leave the room.

Yesterday Reed showed some interest in Daddy's bank. He wanted to get the money out of the bank. I took a walk over to the piggy bank and when I lifted it up, I was amazed at how heavy it was. It is also made of some pretty strong plastic so I knew that they wouldn't be able to crack the bank. Reed went into the kitchen and got some kind of plastic stirrer which he promptly broke trying to make the coin opening bigger. Then Reed says to Hunter, "I got an idea". With that he comes back with a knife and fork trying to get into the bank. Then Hunter does the same. Then Hunter starts banging on the bank with the handle of the knife and I stop him. Then Reed says,"Hunter, I have another idea". He runs off and returns with a couple of screw drivers. After observing this span of a few noisy minutes, I decided to defuse the situation. I was afraid that they might drop the bank and brake a toe. So I put on my coat and decided to remove the issue. I locked the bank in the trunk ok my car until Mom comes home. For every positive action there is a re-action. I will continue this letter later on today about the re-action and it's ultimate conclusion.



Love,

Dad