I like to work with beads. It relaxes me, and I get to be creative in a right brain sort of way. I've made lots of bracelets and a couple of necklaces and tons and tons of earrings. It's been fun for me, and I usually give them away. But sometimes I decide that I want to make something just for myself, and I had grand plans of creating entire wardrobes of intricate and fancy earrings, just to be glamorous.
Yeah.
I have a four year old boy. A four year old boy who is the equivalent of the Tasmanian Devil from Looney Tunes fame. If he's quiet, shenanigans are afoot.
Fortunately, Zane always wants to be where I am.
Unfortunately, Zane always wants to be where I am.
Before I even got all the Legos cleared away from the table, my son was right next to me. He wanted to help, he said, and climbed into my lap.
It is physically impossible to do any sort of beading with a wiggly child in your lap. Believe me, I have tried. I do try to be encouraging, patient. My husband is so good at that.
I am not.
I sat Zane in the chair next to me, and gave him some string and some plastic beads that I bought just for him. Soon he was happily stringing beads. I started again. I actually got to look at a bead or two before I have to stop. Zane was swinging the string of beads he made around his head very fast.
"Zane, that is going to brea--" I didn't even get the sentence out.
Beads flew everywhere in the kitchen. There was even a bead stuck in a cobweb in a corner, I'm sorry to admit. I yelled, Zane cried. I hugged him, and we discussed why it's not a good idea to swing a string of beads around. I tell him to pick up all the beads that he can see so people don't slip on them.
"I can't," he says, then runs off.
After another round of yelling and crying, Zane finally cames in and helps me pick up the beads. That done, I sat down again to work on my earrings, only to have Zane climb back into my lap with his computer. He wanted to show me the Green Ninja, I think. Is there a Green Ninja? Maybe I misunderstood. I moved Zane to the seat next to me, and try to work again, pausing every 4.7 seconds to answer questions or to "see" whatever it is that Zane wants me to see on his 'computer'.
I broke three jump rings in a row and nearly took off a fingernail.
Finally, Zane decided that he wanted to play with some of his other toys, and went into the living room. He could see me, I could see him. More importantly, I can focus a little. I finally figured out how to get the triangle jump ring onto the--
The doorbell rang. I don't remember much after that point. But hey, I did finally finish the earrings!
