Abandoned

Childhood is a series of abandoning moments. The flexibility of youth bends so easily in the very young -- like the 3 and under set -- that to us older folk it seems to flit and flutter around ideas and actions. Some may say that toddlers just can't pay attention long enough to finish what they start.
In closely watching some abandoned actions this week I'm now convinced little kids always finish what they start. But I'm too old to realize when the end has come.

Yesterday all manner of play was halted -- puzzle pieces and Candy Land game pieces be damned -- when a rowdy hail storm rolled in. The little ones ran to the front porch to examine the "ice balls" and even take a taste. By the time the storm subsided there was no interest in games and puzzles. They were simply abandoned and so was all talk of the weather system.

Tonight I flipped on the tube to check the weather. This is a morning and nightly ritual around here and my boys watch intently with me. I think they secretly hope I will jump up and pull my overcoat over my PJs and scurry about the yard with sheets to save the plants. The forecast called for more hail. Coop jumped up and ran to the porch, thinking that the forecast was now. Aha! Not abandoned, just steeping in his head for a bit.

Now I'm just wondering where the story ends for these shoes....