by Persephone

"RAAR!" said Diana, my four-year-old daughter. "RAAR! RAAR!"

"Yes dear?" I replied. "I DINOSAUR!" she exclaimed, and stomped off to wreak havoc on the Tokyo that was my living room.

"A dinosaur, eh?" I said. "That's nice. Just don't eat your brother, okay?"

"John-boy dinosaur too!" she told me. So, I turned and looked at my one-year-old son, who was sitting on the floor. He raised his arms and gave me a great big toothless grin, followed by a happy little "raar!" He hiked himself up, and toddled off after his sister.

"Diana?" I called after them. "I DINOSAUR!!" she hollered back. "Oh, I'm sorry," I said. "Excuse me, Dinosaur? Why don't you take your dinosaur brother and go be dinosaaurs in your room?" "Okay!" she replied. "Come on Johnny!"

So, Dianasaurus Rex and Johnzilla stomped off to their lair. "RAAR! raar! RAAR! raar! RAAR! raar!"

Aaaah, a few moments peace.

No. This is wrong. Quiet, when it comes from MY children, is wrong.

I approach The Dianasaur's bedroom with trepidation. I open the door...and I don't see them. Now, the bedroom isn't big. I know they're in here somewhere. Then I hear a giggle. It's my son. Whew. I follow the sound, and find them in the closet.

No longer are they dinosaurs. They have become, for lack of a better term, "performance artists." My daughter has taken a blue marker and drawn all over herself, and her brother. Two little blue faces look up at me. The boy looks quite happy. The girl...well, she knew she was busted.

Several thoughts ran through my mind as I pondered what to do about my Suddenly Smurfed kids. Running away to Bora Bora was the first. Nah. Send the kids to Bora Bora? Nah. Then I noticed the marker in my daughter's hand. Praise Goddess, it was one of her washable ones! So...I started laughing. I laughed all the way to the bathroom, I laughed as I ran a bath (with extra Mr. Bubble), and laughed as I plunked the kids down in there and commenced scrubbing.

Now things are back to normal. My son is eating out of the dog's dish, my daughter is naked and jumping on the couch, and I'm on the computer, doing some research on whether circuses ever really did buy children.