Drum Duet

Ian didn't think much of Abbie tonight at bath time. He was happily playing in the tub when she stepped into water play area. He couldn't scoop water anymore, so he pinched her to make her move. I pulled his hand away and told him to stop, and he immediately tried it again. And again. And again. And an estimated dozen more times. I finally distracted him with a cupful of bath water dumped over his head.

The boys are like that now. When one of their siblings does something to annoy them, they don't complain or move to something else, they go straight for the A-bomb of pinching. Or hitting. Or biting.

A few minutes later, Abbie started drumming on Ian. She likes hitting people with open palms in rapid, bongo-like succession. It's a game for her. I drum on the children too, but when I do it it's cute. When Abbie drums on my arm it's annoying. When Abbie drums on Ian's bare, wet chest, it's painful. Her wet hands made more of a slapping sound than a percussive sound.

Ian protested the drumming, and I told Abbie to stop. When she continued, I pulled her hands away from him. While Abbie was restrained, Tory started drumming on Ian's back. When I told him to stop, Abbie started on his chest again. Abbie and Tory thought this game was great fun. Ian thought it hurt. I thought it was appropriate payback for his pinching flurry earlier. Then I thought about how naughty all three children could be, and I wanted to scream along with Ian.