We adults were playing cards last night while Mark and his friend were playing with Mark’s Legos and JC watched from his car seat which we use on the floor so he can sit up and see what’s going on around him. After a half hour or so, Mark came into the kitchen and asked if they could play hide and seek. Theresa told him yes but to stay in the house...no going outside to hide. Over the next half hour or so we’d hear either Mark or Terry yelling “Ready or not, here I come!”

Theresa told me I needed to go get JC because the boys probably left him all alone in Mark’s room. As I passed through the living room on the way to Mark’s room, I saw Mark standing in the corner counting. I went back into the living room and asked Mark where JC was.

Mark: “I don’t know.”

Me (feeling the panic building): “What do you mean you don’t know?”

Mark: “I haven’t found him yet.”

Me (panic growing): “Go find him!”

Mark: “I can’t.”

Me (Now in full panic mode): “Why not?”

Mark: “Because I haven’t counted to a hundred yet.”

Me: “Go find your brother! NOW!!”

Mark: “Okay, Dad.” But he didn’t move. Instead he just yelled for Terry and said that I wanted to know where JC was.

I heard a door open in the hallway and, when I looked, Terry crawled out from under the bottom shelf in the linen closet. “Hi, Mr. M.”

Me: “Where’s JC?”

Terry: “In the closet in your bedroom.”

Me: “Why is he in my closet?”

Terry: “I put him there.”

“Great” I thought to myself, “Here we go again. Why did you do that?”

Terry: “It was my turn.”

Me: “Your turn?”

Terry: “Yeah, to hide him.”

Aha, I was beginning to see a pattern here. “So you boys are taking turns hiding JC?”

Mark; “Daaaad, we’re playing hide and seek and you have to hide to be seeked (Mark’s word…not mine) and JC’s too little to hide himself so we do it for him.” As we went to check on JC, Mark continued, “And JC’s having fun!”

I opened the closet door and there was my not quite two month old son in his car seat. “See Dad? I told you he was having fun!”

Apparently Mark was right. As soon as I opened the door, JC smiled that cute little smile and started kicking his legs and waving his arms like he does when I play peek-a-boo with him. Either he was having fun or I’ve been torturing him with the peek-a-boo game.

I told the boys they could keep playing but they could only hide JC in closets, not cover him with anything and not take him out of his car seat. As I was walking out of the room I swear I heard someone (Mark) whispering, “…because he’s too old to remember how to play.” I can feel my hair turning gray!

When I got back to the kitchen, Theresa asked where JC was.

Me: “I don’t know? It’s not my turn.”

Theresa: “Your turn for what?”

Me: “To hide him.”

Theresa: “OMG! You’re letting them hide the baby?”

I just smiled as she left the room to save JC. They’re her kids too, and if I have to get gray hair, so does she!