"Time Out" Buddy

Here's a cute story to brighten your Thanksgiving "Eve." The other day, Caleb was looking at the DVD Mulan and politely asked if he could watch it. When we declined his request, he responded in a burst of anger and tossed the case onto the floor. He was promptly sent to time-out for that display of temper. Ethan, seeing his brother pouting on the floor, trotted over and plopped down beside him. With the righteous indignation that is such an integral part of Caleb's personality, he howled, "NO, Ethan. You are NOT in time-out because you did NOT make a bad choice." Ethan looked sideways at his brother, not at all put off by this outright rejection of his proferred sympathy. Instead, Ethan hopped up, took a DVD off the shelf, and perfectly imitated his brother's flinging misdemeanor. Marcus and I looked at each other and stifled our laughs. I recovered first and sent Ethan to join his brother, which he did with a HUGE grin on his face. Caleb, fairly outsmarted, just crossed his arms and glowered, refusing to awknowledge the brother who was now planted proudly beside him.