So...

Last weekend the short one is banging about in the kitchen while I die quietly on the couch.  Playing with the ladles and spatulas and assorted "safe" kitchen gadgets in the accessible drawer.  Then it gets quiet.  Short one comes to the living room when called and I think nothing more of it.  An hour later, time for some neo citran and out I go to the kitchen recognizing right away the BAD sign...kitchen gadgets in the dog's water bowl. Empty of water water bowl.  Water in gadget drawer.  Dripping into towel drawer...

Lesson?  Quiet is bad.

Driving home from work today it gets quiet in the back seat.  I'm enjoying the fact that the day is over and I am not really thinking about the unusual quiet.  The lack of motor vehicle commentary...bus bus more more truck more more ooh aah ooh aah more more etc...repeat...Then the shout of joy usually reserved for farm tractors and bath time erupts from the rear seat and I glance in the mirror to discover he is wet.  Like out of the bath wet.  Like where is the shampoo wet.  Dude has discovered how to turn his water baba upside-down, milk it like a frggin camel and drench himself in water.  

Lesson?  Are you LISTENING this time?   Quiet is BAD!

Half an hour later.  We are at Auntie Carol's place to pick up the all important medicine that Uncle Bill was to kindly pick up for us in the far away town at the special compounding pharmacy only he forgot why he was in town and didn't pick it up so the visit extended to hours as he rushed to town to get it in his nice quiet car all alone (the alternative being stay with Ben while I rushed into town in my quiet car all alone...only I don't think he thought I would rush...so he went...but I digress).  Anyway, Auntie Carol and I are chatting in the kitchen while dude plays in the next room pretending to water Uncle Bill's plants with the special pretend decorative watering can he pretends with ALL THE TIME, the stairs safely blocked off, and we don't even notice the QUIET...  Dude is IN the dog water dish up to his little knees wearing his stride-rite leather shoes filling the water can because clearly why would someone pretend to water plants when there is water right there?  Carol and I only find out about this very damp disaster when he comes sloshing into the kitchen to show us, gleefully, his dampness.

Lesson?  QUIET is probably always BAD...

But sometimes quiet is good...like right now when he is sleeping.