drain drain go away

The week before he started swimming lessons Hamish was finally putting his whole body, head and all, under water. Bryan and I puffed with pride. But when swimming lessons started, his newfound skill was nothing particularly special. Other kids in his class could do the same and more, and more was being asked of my son, which is of course how things go. The class was chaotic and as the session progressed, Hamish got more and more anxious, finally abandoning his beginners' class to be "teacher's helper" in Stella's Aquatot class. This was a coup as Hamish loves being in charge, directing others and feeling special. He learned the backstroke. He learned to push off the wall. He went down the water slide, no problem.

interlude

One of the Miller women is not so stuck when it comes to her writing. Below, a story by Stella, which may or may not offer a fresh angle on a certain mother's current chaotic state of mind:

The Robot Princess Pink Pig

It was, but then, a Mommy Robot Princess Pink Pig and then a robot Mommy and then a robot Mommy Princess Pink Pig and then a daddy pig had his clothes on and then something happened I don’t know and ummmmmmmm.... a pig come that wasn’t a robot, that was a robot that wasn’t a robot Princess Pink Pig, it was the three little pigs! The three little pigs on Dora and uh the Robot Princess Pink Pig and then it sssss....... got there and then Dora got there quick and Boots! That’s the end of the story! The! End! And um. Robot Princess Pink Pig got there quick and then the big bad wolf come there and was nice to the three little pigs the end! The End that’s the end Mommy that’s the end. Mommy that’s the end.