Zoe the Screech Owl

My youngest kidlet and Manchild are intellectual equals. They have a great time together. They're always pulling pranks on one another, and talking smack to each other and generally making my life hell. We can't have one decent meal together without the two of them picking on one another. This usually results in my kiddo screeching loudly enough to burst the average person's eardrums.

Manchild's voice is super barritone so he makes me jump when he blurts out a statement. Kidlet's voice is high enough to make my hiney cringe. Together, the two of them make me want to stick an ice pick in my eye. Repeatedly.

Since I've been writing this blog, kidlet has been inspired to write stories of her own. I think it's great because she gets good practice using punctuation and her imagination and spell check. Spell check doesn't always catch everything. Here's an example:

this week end my mom and her friend adding me went donw to Corsicana wich is ware my step dads house is. When my Mom went to aparty my dad and I had nuthing to do no friday night so he said "Lets go for a walk" as we where walking I clud her all sorts of sounds Like hogs gunnting, deer snorting, owls houting and so on. at first my step dad said that if I ran out to the trees and back the hogs would get me and of course I fell for it. I started to run but the Last minute he said itwas a Liy. We started heading bake befor dark and eric said "help me cut a windo" I said OK and we headed into the shop. at frist I was siting around trying occoupy my self from not getting bord when my dad made me help him cut the glass and huld it still. when we were finesh my dad and I went into the house I went strate up to my be and layed downa nd my dad watch the mexcan chanlle that has the laldes in hott looking outfits. When the show ended he also came up into his bed. the next day my mom, her fried, and I went shoping. I got two t-shirts and my mom a nice looking Dress for her party. when we Left we dcited to hed home. at 8 PM we went to hear the band at texas theater. now I don't think I ever said but when were out Stevie and travis always jock around saying hold my drink, do you want a jello shot? or drink my drink. but this time I said "I don't even know what that is?" time went on and the band started to play. by the second set tommys amp went out and we went out side to wait. eric said the bad gays had guns and shot right thure peoples heads and into a small hole in the wall at the texas theater. when we where waiting travis said into the mic that tommy's amp could not be fixed and they ed try agin on the 28 Januware. eric and I started to Leve when I wanted to say by. on the way home I was up set so eric bought a mailk shake for us to be cheerfuly/happy. When we where home I got ready for bed when I hard eric ooing about the mexcain laddies on tv and from what therewere doing. the next minute we were sleeping awass like little bees buzzing away.

This is the actual transcript. I read her paper - written in red ink, and copied it word for word - misspelling for misspelling. Isn't that a great story? Of course, she screeched that I wasn't writing it correctly but I did. I love my kidlet, even if she burst my ear drums and makes my blood pressure rise enough to cause me a heart attack. I hope she never stops writing - but I do hope she stops screeching. I don't have any fine crystal left because her screech has shattered all of it. Some of our windows are cracked, too. Not really, but if she got loud enough I bet they'd crack.