SUPERBENNY!!

Yesterday Mia played with a friend from across the street. Somehow her and her little friend had dragged a toy-filled mini shopping cart over to her friend's house unbeknownst to me. I found out about this all later. From Mia.

I had called and asked the friend's mom if she could send Mia home. 10 minutes later I came over to the shoe-getting-on place in our entryway on the second stair. Ben had a basketball game and we had to get going! As I'm tying Ben's shoes (yes, I'm still doing it!) there stood Mia next to her shopping cart.

I asked, "You took that to E's?"

Mia: "Yes."

Ben: "Yeah and she spilled it all on the street on her way home."

Mia: "I called for you mom and you didn't hear me."

Me: Bad mom-guilt feeling starting to rise.

Ben: "I heard Mia crying out on the street and I went out and helped her clean it up. And brought it in the house."

Me: Absolute delighted surprise and huge amounts of pride surging from every pore!

"What!? You did!! Oh Ben you are the best big brother in the world!! Mia, do you know how lucky you are to have a brother like Ben?"

Ben: Groans and ughhs from the onslought of hugs and kisses from mom.

I then do a reinactment of the whole scenario for them:(Ben has to know that this act of superbrotherhero-ness must go on and so, like all women, I feed his ego.) First I start with the superman theme song, give the superman pose with one fist on the hip, the other pointed straight ahead. We then see him fly through the air to the crying and desperate Mia, he scoops up all the toys into the cart in one fail swoop and flyes the whole bundle into the house, with Mia, and pats her on the head. Ends with music again.

Ben thought it was hillarious. We may have to recreate it tonight for everyone as a play.

I have the best kids. I do. Right when I want to donate them to any available orphanage or sweat shop, they seem to pull through with something like this that makes me want to get up in the morning and make their breakfasts, pickup their garbage, dirty underwear, shoes, clean a gross toilet, all in the name of hope.