The Longest Shortest Time

Garlic Peel and Coffee Grounds

In music class and at the pool the mothers of the most rambunctious kids always say to me, “Sasha seems so easy. Is she easy?” It’s a tough question to answer because I sort of don’t believe that taking care of any young child is easy (though lots of moms tell me that it is with their kids, so who knows). Sasha is an observer—often a slightly scared observer—in large group settings; in small groups or with one other child, she is more often the grabbee than the grabber. But at home, when she and I are alone, things are different. Especially between the hours of 5:00 and 7:00. That’s when the thing that most excites Sasha is dumpster diving. I know, I know, I should have baby-proofed the kitchen trash by now, but I just haven’t gotten around to it. In the amount of time it takes to mix up rice cereal, there’s a click of the pantry door, the click of the trash can, and suddenly there’s garbage all over the floor. A trail of coffee grounds. Empty bags of frozen berries. Milk-soaked paper towels. If I take the time to gather up the mess, next thing I know I’ll be fishing garlic peels out of Sasha’s mouth. Then we go through our routine: No, honey, garbage is dirty. Screaming. Stomping. Crying. Off to some distracting activity. Running back to the kitchen. The click of the pantry. The click of the trash can. Begin cycle again. This time with more vigor. Sasha works herself up into a frenzy over this and it never feels like a great way to end the day. I have to take a breather and remind myself that she’s not trying to infuriate me—she’s just curious. And that this is a good quality in a person.

Next week’s podcast episode is about someone who came to this realization earlier than I did. And for a reason that will totally, totally blow you away. Stay tuned; we all have a lot to learn from this story.

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