Bleeding, Hurt or Dangerous?

I was lucky enough to have a practice son for the years before I was ready to be a full-time Mom. My nephew Dylan stayed with me most Friday nights starting when he was very little. I got to spend lots of time with him, playing, making cookies, snuggling and then I'd get to send him home to his Mom and collapse on the couch.

Dylan is a wonderful kid, always was. Very easy going, gentle, very smart and just plain lovable. Dylan was 2 1/2 when I got pregnant with Max. He watched all those baby birthing shows on TLC with me. He went with to the ultra sound. He helped me decorate the nursery. One of my favorite memories of that time was him laying in Max's crib when the nursery was done and saying, "This baby is going to LOVE this room". He loved Max before he met him.

They were good buddies and then Max turned 2.

I've told you what a beast Max was. How naughty he was. Well Max would get into it with Dylan. Dylan would run to me and say, "Max did this" or "Max did that". It was typically something like Max took a toy away and I'd say, "You're bigger, take it back" and then Max would come running in to tell on Dylan. Finally one day I snapped and I came up with Bleeding, Hurt or Dangerous.

Dylan came running in to tell me something Max had done or was doing and I held up my hand, stopped him from speaking and asked, "Are either of you bleeding"?

Dylan looked bewildered..."no", he said.

"Are either one of you hurt"? I asked.

"No", repeated Dylan.

"Anyone doing anything dangerous"?

He shook his head no.

I said, "Well unless one of you are bleeding, hurt or in danger or doing something dangerous, I don't want to hear about it. You two need to figure it out".

That became my new rule. If you aren't Bleeding, Hurt or Dangerous..figure it out.

All my nieces and nephews know my rule so tattling at my house doesn't happen much. Or if it does, it starts with, "Someone is going to get hurt...."