This, right here, is why I don’t understand how single parents manage. If it were just me, who would be the kids’ wrestling partner? I am no good at wrestling with the children. Any time I try I end up just hugging them and tickling them, which is not what they want at all. Or, they try to wrestle me, and I just snap, “Get off me!” and go to another room. But Dave loves it. Thank goodness. Usually when he gets home they are waiting at the door for him, ready to pounce.
This is a list of things that Henry was planning to do with Dave (and Eli) when Dave got home from work. In case you can’t figure it out, resel=wrestle. And “Blue Men” is a game that evolved from The Great Quillow that involves Henry and Eli yelling “Blue Men!” and jumping on Dave, who is acting as the giant. Dave then yells a lot and eventually falls down, screaming, “You got me!” Making Dave into butter has something to do with covering him in blankets and kneading him (the only one of these that I might personally be able to tolerate).
I just wanted to comment: yes to all of this. It is true that my boy (maybe many boys, maybe most boys) seems to desire physical force, wrestling, in a way that I don’t. When his dad comes home that’s what they do, that’s how they play, and man is he happy. and when I submit and say I’ll wrestle a little, (we do it on the bed, and there’s a firm ending if mommy says so, which she often does anytime the play gets near her head, which it alawys does) he’s ECSTATIC. with a wildness in his eyes. it’s a little scary.
“Make Dave into Butter” is the best. And also, I don’t wrestle, either. When Joe goes out of town, Alessandro starts to get a little crazy from lack of reseling.
Totally: when Dave’s out of town the kids start to act like they’re covered in hives or something. And Emily, I’m the same way: I resel for a few minutes and then get all huffy because it gets too rough. Dave does it with them until someone is crying. My limit is way before that.
I do have to say that I am really honestly surprised that neither Dave nor I has gotten a broken nose from all this yet. There have been some incredibly close calls.