Our three sons, the oldest ones

For some of us, kids are like potato chips. Even though we know they'll raise our blood pressure and make us fat, we can't have just one.

My husband and I have been blessed with six children, four of whom are male. I like to call our oldest three boys the the three musketeers. Usually they're pretty good at the one for all and all for one! But there are some days when they act more like the three stooges.

Last night at bedtime was definitely one of those days. They went with a friend to a skating party, a fun, harmless activity. Over the course of that two hours they apparently forgot their parents were overprotective, weapon banning pacifists. They came home with inflatable light sabers.

Kids are smart. They know Dad & I like the Star Wars movies a lot...and they knew they had found a loop-hole. You see, other than water guns, a couple of plastic light sabers are the only toy weapons of any kind they'd ever been allowed to keep. We figured they weren't "real" so what harm could it do?

Well, the plastic ones could break stuff and accidently hurt people, so the boys understand why those are outside toys. These inflatable ones are just like balloons though, right? So why can't they have a fight with them in their room, an hour past bed time? Or hit their sister with it in the morning? They're just playing, mo-om.

Yet once they've put them away, and are serious about getting ready for school it's back to the three musketeers again.

"Here are shoes, Chip."
"Abe, I've got your jacket."
"Mom, can we go now?"

And off they go, together.