BEADS

5:30 p.m. Standing in the kitchen cursing myself yet again for thinking that chicken salad is such a great dinner choice as I furiously chop chicken, celery and green pepper into minuscule pieces. I glance at the clock and chop faster, this sucker has to chill for at least an hour and I am HUNGRY.

Every evening I prepare dinner with both ears trained toward wherever Lily and Lukasz have to be. Tonight was going surprisingly well; there were the usual crashes of toys, but they were accompanied by murmurs and giggles instead of the usual shrieks and yells of an indignant Lukasz as Lily parades around with whatever toy he's decided he wants held high above her head.

And suddenly, silence.

Then Lily speaking slowly, and in awe, "Wow. That's a lot of beads."

I freeze, hoping against hope that she's referring to the big wooden beads she threads on shoe laces. I ask mildly, "What beads?" as I come around the corner into the livingroom where Lily and Lukasz are crouched over a suddenly rainbow carpet.

Lily says quickly, "Don't worry Mommy, we're cleaning it up."

There, on and IN the carpet, are hundreds of tiny beads that Lily recently acquired for making jewellery.

I breathe deep. Lily repeats herself, "Don't worry Mommy, we're cleaning it up."

I start helping them clean, watching as they sweep the beads in a pile with their hands, effectively pinging the beads backwards with every sweep.

I think of the dust buster. The dust buster that ran out of charge the last time Lukasz was playing with it.


So we knelt there for over a quarter of an hour and picked all. those. little. beads. out of the carpet. After I'd gotten all I could see, I combed the carpet with my fingers and watched in satisfaction as more tiny beads came pinging out from where they were hiding.

Then I went back to my chop-chop-chopping and made a delicious chicken salad, which, of course, Lily and Lukasz turned their little noses up at.

Ain't parenting GRAND?