Identical twin

We recently visited the girls great grand father, Big Pop.  Although Big Pop's house has more than one bedroom, my family always seems to end up in one room and more specifically in one bed at night.  As the girls have continued to grow, even a king size bed is no longer accommodating for four people.  The last trip was finally the deal breaker.  It was finally time to kick out the little folks.

You may be asking "How bad could it be?"  Consider this, every time you rollover to change sides waking up to see if you are not going to squish, crush or otherwise maim the person beside you.  And although not as bad as tent camping sleep, it is not the one of the most restful nights sleep one can get.  The big commotion must have started about 2 AM.  Least this is what I was told at breakfast the next morning.  


Mom: "Girls y'all are not sleeping in our bed tonight.  It is time for you two to graduate to the sofa bed/hideaway bed.  I did not get much sleep from being kicked in the gut and slapped in the face." 
The girls responded with concern as would anyone would when presented with change.  
Girls: "We do not want to sleep in there; it's scary in that room." 

Negotiation strategy is all about providing the bad guys something they want, or better yet something they have not thought of.  Either way the goal is to distract or provide an alternative prize.

Me: "Girls there is a TV in the extra den with the sofa bed. You can watch TV." 
Girls: "We can watch TV!"  They ran back to the extra den right then to check out their new pad.
Mom: "Why haven't we thought about that before?"
Me: "They have never kicked you in the gut or slapped you in the face while they were sleeping before."

We spent most of the rest of that day on the golf course.  The girls love the golf course.  They run up and down the hills, through the sand traps ("Hey get out of there!"), but most of all they love the golf cart.  There favorite part is when we let them drive steer the golf carts.  There is something intoxicating for kids, and those that feel like a kid, driving an electrical vehicle around on a paved path with the wind blowing in your face.

Later that night after we settled down from our golf outing and dinner I was given instructions to set up the sofa bed for the girls.  I went to perform my duty about 9:00 PM and found a surprise.  Big Pop had made up the sofa bed with his magical powers.  (Grandparents are so tricky.  Not sure when he did it...maybe when we were watching Swamp People on the History channel.  Swamp People, have you ever?)

We finished watching the last episode of Swamp People for the evening and sent the girls to their new bedroom.  They were so excited.  They turned on the TV as soon as they arrived.  They found Good Luck Charlie on the Disney Channel.  They even shushed me when I tried to tell them good night.  However, I was able to lay down the law provide instructions to KJ, she being the oldest. 
Me: "KJ it's 10:00. It is already way past your bedtime.  As soon as this show is over, I want you to turn off the TV.  You got that?"
KJ: "Yes Dad."
Me: "Don't loose your TV privileges the first night."
KJ: "We won't.  Goodnight Dad."

Because of all the restless sleep the night before, I slept like a log.  Walking into the kitchen for some breakfast the next morning I was greeted with "Do you know what time your children went to bed last night?"
"Considering I feel asleep shortly after..." 
"1:30 Kipp.  They were still watching TV at 1:30."
"I told KJ to turn if off at 10:30."
"Well at 1:30 I woke up to Squirt running down the hall to go to the bathroom.  I checked on them and they were still watching TV.  You need to go talk to them, cause I slept really good last night, other than putting them to bed at 1:30, and I do not want them back in the bed with us."

I go back to the extra den to find my juvenile delinquent children.  I put on my disciplinary dad face.  With a parental speech on disobedience prepared, I find KJ stretching on the sofa bed trying to wake up.  

Me: "How did you sleep last night KJ?" 
KJ: "Fine."
Me: "What time did you go to bed?"
She shrugged her shoulders and grunted I don't know.
Me: "Mom said you guys were still up at 1:30".
KJ continued to stretch sensing nothing wrong at this point.
I have learned as a parent this is the best time to drop the proverbial hammer.
Me: "I thought I told you at 10:00 to turn the TV off at 10:30 when the show you were watching was over."
KJ sensing danger, suddenly sat up on the sofa bed.  She was on her knees in a instant.  With her hair a mess and her eyes as wide as saucers she starts talking as fast as humanly possible, "But Dad you did not say '10:30' you said when the show was over.  She stretches out her arms as far as she could, "It was a Good Luck Charlie marathon.  So the same show kept coming on over and over.  And you said when the show was over to turn off the TV, and I was going too, but it kept coming back on."
Me: Laughing out loud I responded, "Well played.  Your mother may not understand, but I get you loud and clear.  O my - you are just like somebody I know." 


I can see teenage years are going to be...