If you have seen the Disney film, 101 Dalmations, you will know all about Cruella, the wicked (but glamorous) witch who wanted a Dalmation fur coat. Well, last week for 13 days (not that I was counting), I babysat my 11 year old nephew Thomas and my 8 year old niece Clelia and I am ashamed to admit I turned into Cruella!
I must preface this article with the fact that I adore these children, and they know it because I tell them constantly. They are without doubt the best children in the world. (Sorry, they’re better than yours!). Every night before they go to sleep, I whisper to each one, “You are the best little boy/girl in the whole world. I would never change anything about you. You are perfect just the way you are.” They know it’s my little bedtime ritual and they love hearing it.
Having not spent extended time with these children for about 6 years , I noticed dramatic changes. These are wonderful and simultaneously hideous at these ages. These two really love each other and follow each other around constantly. They went from being wonderful playmates to expert sparring partners!
They would wake up in the morning and the little darlings would sneak around to let me sleep. That is until I heard progressively louder hissing sounds like “Stoppit Thomas”; “You suck”; “I do not” ; “Yes you do, and you’re dumb”. These sounds were often followed by thumping noises and then crying!
It was at that point Cruella emerged. The only difference was that I looked nothing like glamorous! Anyway, I charge out of the bedroom with my first sounds of the day being a shrew-like “STOPPIT BOTH OF YOU”. In fact, I shouted so often that a we were driving along one day I heard (and was supposed to hear) one of them say “I don’t think Amanda loves us any more!”. So, I , being an ‘expert’ communicator realized it was a time for positive reinforcement.
Luckily, from somewhere in the deep recesses of my mind came the incredibly wise , not to mention sophisticated, phrase, “ I love , and always will love YOU, it’s just that sometimes your behavior sucks”.
How I went from being a normal human being to Cruella in two days has given me insight into the lives of parents. Who should take valium and or prozac routinely. There is no question.
To top it off, children are incredibly observant and breathtakingly honest. Just after I had finished my Cruella bit, I stomped off to the shower. As I emerged, I heard one of them say to me “Manda , your butt wobbles just like Mum’s”. The troubling thing about this phrase was that it was unaccompanied by peals of laughter. It was just stated matter of factly!
My reply of course was (Cruella style), “It does not”. “Yes it does they both repeated.” Gleefully by now. As if this was not enough revenge on their part, I later heard lots of giggles coming from the room where they were drawing. Thinking I could share a magic moment of ‘not fighting’ with them, I rushed from one of the forty million domestic chores that had suddenly entered my life (I washed, cooked and washed up more than I had in five months).
When I looked at what my talented angels were drawing I saw a human form with an ENORMOUS bottom. This bottom had lines either side to indicate wobbling movements. As an additional feature, there were dots over the actual bottom bits. When I asked what the dots were, Thomas said ‘freckles’ and Clelia (not having yet learned the link between tact and life) said
“You know Manda, they’re those … those….um…dents in your bottom”!
Well, Cruella disappeared in an instant. I fell to the floor laughing. How could you not be absolutely besotted with such innocence and honesty and beauty and humor. At least I’ll never develop a big head or ego. I feel blessed that I had so much time to spend with them and I am looking forward to their next visit. (Until the drugs have worn off anyway).
However, I would just like to point out that Clelia does wear glasses and obviously could not see clearly that day , as I do not have ‘dents’. Anywhere.
