The boys were jumping off the furniture in my parents’ house today, so my mother and I took them to the park to play Hide and Seek in the wilderness. Henry loves hide and seek because he is all about outsmarting me. And he’s good at it; the last time he hid, we could NOT find him. I was terrified and proud, all at the same time. Welcome to parenthood!

Charlie, on the other hand, sucks at hide and seek. He hides in the same place every time (today it was in a tree) and then when you announce “READY OR NOT, HERE I COME!” he yells, “I’m over HERE! Come and FIND ME!” If you pretend not to know where he is, he will give you directions. He is INCREDIBLY excited when he’s found, and will cheer, “You found me! You found me! Hooray!” And then he says, “Let’s go get Henry!”

Because all he REALLY wants to do is find Henry.

Explora, Albuquerque, New Mexico, 31 July 2006