brother! My brother!” Mae and I both ran out and began searching. It only took a moment or two without success for me to be ready to call the police. Then who should walk up but Drew and Michael. When we asked him where they had been, he pointed to the open fields not far from the house. I gave Michael a couple of smacks and a stern lecture on getting permis- sion before leaving the area. Just then Herman and Nana Dora showed up. When I told Herm what happened he wanted to give Michael a spanking. Frankie stepped in front of his brother twice to keep his Daddy away. The brotherly love was so touching we all melted. Maybe it was because I was now an experi- enced mother capable of raising two rambunctious boys but, whatever the reason, Stephen was a plea- sure. It was like taking care of a doll. When you are raising children, no matter how much advice you get from others, it all comes down to what you do on a day to day basis. Maybe all the advice helps but it is making a meal, or cleaning a scraped knee, or just holding a child that adds up to being a parent. Our children turned out well but I wouldn’t brag too much because, like all mothers, I was just doing what came naturally and making it up as I went along. THE LOTION TECHNIQUE For instance, I don’t think any of the child rais- ing books recommends this technique but it worked just fine for calming both me and the children. In the evening I would put lotion on my skin before going to bed. The kids caught on to this habit and would compete with each other for the privilege of putting lotion on me. I would lie on the bed with a kid on each of my hands and feet. It was better than any spa. PAPER AND SCISSORS Another technique that I used to keep them busy was to give them plenty of construction paper and safe kids’ scissors. Those simple things kept my kids busy for hours. As they got better at it they became very accomplished at making paper toys – houses and bridges and Ferris wheels. Stephen once made a billiards table with paper balls. Every- thing they made moved in some way. I gave them potato chips to fuel their creativity.
beating the stuffing out of him. Then, apparently for good measure, both Frankie and Michael ran their bikes into him. Herman had taught the boys not to start fights but to hit back if someone hit them. Herman pulled Frankie aside and asked him what was going on. Frankie said, “First Drew hit Michael then he came after me. So I ate my spin- ach and I went like this,” posing in fighting fashion with his fists clenched and gritting his teeth. His father told him he was proud of him but told him not to hit Drew so hard. Not a day later Frankie came running upstairs crying hysterically. “Michael is lost,” he cried, “I can’t find him anywhere. I searched all over. My
Drawing of Dora Shooster by Wendy Shooster Leucther in the pointillist style. Where is the glass in the window?
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