The Fork Dropped

Ethan sat at table with Mom and Sister Isabelle for lunch. He? is about 18 month old. Ethan picked up a chunk of carrot with a fork and put it into his mouth. He patted the table with the fork while chewing the carrot. “Dah-dah-dah…”

“Pah!” The fork dropped to the floor.

Ethan pointedhis little finger to the floor and called: “drop!” Mom went to pick up the fork, rinsed it under water and returned it back to Ethan. Having the fork back in his hand, Ethan dangled his legs excitedly and said to Mom gleefully: “Thanks!”

“You’re welcome!” Mom responded with a smile. Ethan played the fork as before.

“Pah!” The fork dropped to the floor again. Ethan called out again: “Drop! drop!”

Mom picked up the fork again and returned it to Ethan. Ethan thanked her again.

The fork dropped to the floor the third time. Isabelle watched at Ethan and giggled. Mom warned: “Don’t throw it again! Otherwise, I won’t let you eat with it. ” The fork went back to Ethan’s hand again.

“Pah! Pah!” This time the little guy threw both the spoon and the fork to the floor. He pointed at them and called out with a blank face: “Drop! Drop!”

Mom looked at Ethan sullenly and didn’t move.

Isabelle stormed from her seat, picked up both the fork and the spoon, rinsed them under faucet, and returned both of them back to Ethan’s placemat.

Isabelle went back to her seat. The sister and brother looked at each other with smile on both faces. Ethan said with satisfaction: “Thanks!”

Isabelle responded with satisfaction: “You’re welcome!”

Mom said: “Both of you focus on eating. No throwing of utensils again! If Ethan throws them again, Isabelle is not allowed to pick them...”

When Mom has hardly finished her sentence, Ethan has already thrown his spoon to the floor. He watched at Isabelle: “Drop! Drop!”

Mom turned her head to discover that Isabelle has already disappeared under table.

Isabelle put thefork back into Ethan’s hand under table. She then put the spoon back on hisplacemat from under furtively.

Isabelle went back to her seat. Ethan was so happy. He said earnestly to Isabelle: “Thanks~~”

Mom looked at Ethan seriously: “Ethan, if you have twice more of throwing, I won’t let you sit here and eat. You will have a time-out at your sister’s room.” Mom pointed in the direction of Isabelle’s room.

But again, as if he didn’t understand Mom’s words, Ethan threw the spoon to the floor and called out to Isabelle: “Drop! Drop!”

Isabelle dived under the table at once.

Mom watched them play the drop-and-pick game twice more silently. Then she stood up, lifted Ethan from the seat and took him to Isabelle’s room. “Then you are not allowed to eat now.” She said as she put down Ethan. Before Ethan figured it out, Mom has already closed the door in front of him.

Ethan cried out aloud instantly. He is not high enough to grab and turn the door knob. He touched the knob and move it a bit, but couldn’t open it. He cried aloud constantly.

At dining table, Isabelle smacked? the table with her palm and said angrily at Mom: “He is only a baby! If you don’t release him right away, I won’t listen to you anymore today.” Mom pretended not hearing Isabelle’s words and ate quietly. But she pricked her ears to listen to Ethan’s cry. Ethan’s cry is rhythmic and full of strength. There should be no worry for loss of breath.

Mom is curious in her mind:In ordinary days this little guy likes digging in Sister’s room the best. He can find things to play with in every corner. Now being locked inside, why does he cry so earnestly? It’s not even a dark room…He should have understood it’s a punishment.

The little guy cried in the room for two minutes. There is no sign that he is going to stop or moderate it. Mom started to worry.

Isabelle was already outraged: “Release him, right now! At once! If you don’t release him now, I will go and release him myself! ” Mom took a glance at her and stood up to open the door for the poor little guy.

Once the door is open, Ethan stopped his cry instantly. He rushed into Mom’s arms, held Mom’s neck tight with both arms, stuck his face to Mom’s face and called “Mama” for several times.

Mom said: “if you throw fork and spoon to the floor again, Mom will lock you in your sister’s room like this again. No throwing to the floor again from now on, okay?” Ethan said: “Okay.”

Mom put him back into his seat. Ethan sat and ate quietly. After eating with good behavior for a long while, the sister and brother meet each other’s eyes, both of them gave out big grins. The little guy was itching to play the game again. He threw the spoon over on the table, looked at Isabelle and said: “Uh-oh——”

Isabelle smiled, sat up to pick the spoon from the table and put it back on his placemat. Ethan said happily: “Thanks!”

Mom pretended not seeing what had happened:These two little guys are a good couple.Just don’t throw it to the floor.

叉子掉了

一歲半的小小米、小米和媽媽坐在餐桌邊吃午飯。小小米叉了一塊胡蘿卜放進嘴里。一邊吃著，一邊拿著叉子敲桌子：“噠噠噠！”

“啪！”叉子掉到了地板上。

小手往地上一指，小小米叫：“掉～”媽媽起身把勺子撿起，去水下沖了沖，還給了他。小小米拿回叉子，晃著兩腿，歡快地說：“謝謝！”

媽媽微笑：“不用謝。”小小米又拿著叉子玩。

“啪！”叉子又掉地板上，小小米又喊：“掉～掉～”

媽媽又撿來叉子還給小小米，他又說謝謝。

叉子第三次掉到地上。姐姐看著弟弟咯咯笑。

媽媽警告說：“不許再扔了！ 再扔不讓你用它吃飯了。”叉子重又回到小家伙手上。

“啪！啪！”小家伙這次拿起了勺子和叉子一齊扔在了地上，一臉無知：“掉～”

媽媽生氣地看著他不說話。

姐姐小米飛快地從桌子對面站起來，跑到他身邊幫他撿起叉子和勺子，拿到水下沖了沖,把它們放回到小小米的餐墊上。

姐姐坐回自己的位子。姐弟互相對著瞇瞇笑，小小米一臉滿足：“謝謝！”

姐姐也一臉滿足：“不用謝！”

媽媽說：“兩人都好好吃飯。不許再扔餐具了!弟弟再扔，姐姐也不許撿…”

媽媽的話音未落，小家伙已經把勺子又扔到了地板上去了，并看著姐姐：“掉～掉～”

媽媽一回頭，小米已經消失到桌子底下。

小米把叉子從桌子下塞到弟弟的手里。又伸手把勺子從底下偷偷放回到他的餐墊上。

小米坐回自己的座位。小小米高興極了，對著姐姐認認真真地說：“謝～謝～”

媽媽嚴肅地看著小小米說：“小小米！如果你再扔兩次的話，我就不讓你坐在這里吃飯了。你就到姐姐房間一個人去呆著。”媽媽指了指臥室的方向。

但是小小米好像沒聽見似的，把勺子又一次扔到了地板上，對著姐姐說：“掉～掉～.”

小米馬上又潛到了桌子底下。

媽媽一聲不吭地看他們接著玩了兩輪扔與撿的游戲。然后，她站起身，把小小米從座位里拎了出來，抱到姐姐房間里去。“現在你不能吃飯了。”她說著就把小小米放下了。小小米還沒回過神來，媽媽已經把門在他面前關上離開了。

小小米哇得哭了出來。小家伙的身高還不夠轉動門把手。門把手動了動，終究沒有被打開。他在屋內大哭。

餐桌上，小米手拍桌子，對著媽媽喊：“He’s only a baby!如果你不馬上把他放出來，我今天就不聽你的話了！”

媽媽不理小米，顧自吃飯。但是，她還是豎起耳朵聆聽哭聲。小小米的哭聲有韻律，中氣十足，不用擔心岔氣。

媽媽心里好奇：平時小家伙最喜歡鉆到姐姐房間里去，每個角落都能發現好玩的。現在一個人在里面，又不是小黑屋，怎么哭得這么認真?看來他明白這是懲罰。

小家伙在屋里哭了兩分鐘，并沒有停止哭泣或者緩解的意思。媽媽開始有點擔心。

小米已經出離憤怒了：“快把他放出來，現在！馬上！如果你現在不把他放出來，我就不叫你媽媽了！我就去把他放出來!”媽媽看了她一眼，起身去給小家伙開門。

一打開門，小小米就停止了哭泣。他撲到媽媽的懷里來，緊緊抱著媽媽的脖子，小臉貼著媽媽的臉，叫了好幾聲媽媽。

媽媽說：“小小米，如果你再把叉子、勺子扔到地板上，媽媽還是會這樣把你關進姐姐的房間里的。以后不要再扔地上了，好不好？”

小小米說：“好。”

媽媽把他抱回餐桌，他坐下來安安靜靜吃飯。吃了好一會兒后，姐弟倆目光相遇，兩人都咧嘴笑了。小家伙忍不住手又癢了，一把抓起勺子往餐桌上扔，看著姐姐說：“啊哦——”

小米嘻嘻笑，撐起身來幫他把勺子從餐桌上撿起來，放回到他的餐墊上。小小米馬上高興地說：“謝謝！”

媽媽裝作沒看見：兩只小屁孩還挺和諧，只要別給我扔到地板上。