Duct tape

As I sit here enjoying my morning coffee and pondering the day ahead of me one thing comes to mind.

Duct tape.

Yes you see, we are going camping for the first time with two small children and I can't help but think it would be a helpful thing to pack along. There are of course many uses for duct tape and being a lifelong Alaskan I have heard the many stories of near death survival situations where duct tape was the MUST HAVE.

I of course, have other reasons for bringing along duct tape...but we'll get to those later.

First though, let me tell you a little bit about my second child, Sienna May, who is a perfect 2 1/2 years old and may possibly be the devil reincarnate herself.
Kidding...
Maybe.
She is a sweet faced curly haired child who with one look of her chocolate brown eyes can melt your heart to pieces...and then she goes in for the kill. Sienna could possibly be the most willful and headstrong child (haha--I know all of the parents of 2 1/2 year old children must be laughing and agreeing with me now) that has ever lived. She of course is the child who refuses to eat anything unless it is A. a hot dog, B. a hot dog, or C. a hot dog. Did I mention she has exquisite taste? She has the uncanny knack of screaming at the top of her lungs (no matter where she is) and shattering glass all around her. She can in one instant be cuddling on your lap and the next telling you in her sweet baby voice, "mommy you are toopid". Yes...this is my second born and lovely girl child.
It's a good thing she is cute and sleeps for 12 hours a night or else she probably wouldn't survive.
So the other day we are having lunch and of course I have loaded her plate with all the goodness I can provide...fruits delicately sliced, veggies seasoned just right and some bits of grilled chicken cut perfectly for her little fingers to pinch and place in her mouth. We sit down at our bar stools and the following conversation ensues:
Mommy: "Sienna, eat your lunch" (said with love and adoration)
Sienna: "Yuck mommy. That's poop. I don't wike my wunch"
Mommy: "Sienna, that is what we are having for lunch and no it's not poop. It's chicken and fruit and look...some yummy carrots with ranch!" (still said with love and adoration, but perhaps with a hint of annoyance)
Sienna: "Yuck, that's poop. I don't wike my wunch. I want a 'hog gog'..."
Mommy: (said through gritted teeth) "Sienna, we are not having hot dogs for lunch. You may eat this or you may get down."
*Insert action of food being pushed away by Sienna and the chicken taking a dive to the floor.."
Sienna: "Toopid mommy, I don't wike you. I don't wike chicken. I don't wike my wunch. I WANT A HOG GOG NOWWWWWW"

At this point I don't need to go into any more specifics but I can tell you what I WANTED to do, I wanted to shove the chicken into her sweet baby faced mouth and say "EAT THE CHICKEN YOU LITTLE BRAT!!!"...but of course I didn't and took a deep breath instead. I tried very VERY hard to think of my one thing to be thankful for (oh I was stretching to say the least) and that's when it popped into my head...duct tape.
You see, duct tape could come in very handy with 2 1/2 year olds in many various ways.
Let your mind wander now...ahhh...you see it too?
I'm sure there are oodles of parents out there who are screaming and seething at the mere suggestion that I, a MOTHER, would DARE suggest using duct tape on my child. I know, even typing it now it sounds absolutely awful.
But secretly I'd bet those very same mothers (and fathers) have had the same thought once or twice in their lives...even if they don't want to put it out there in cyber space for everyone to read.

Well, now we are back to the beginning and as I wind this up I will tell you this. I WILL be packing one last item in my backpack for our weekend camping trip into the great outdoors. Because sometimes survival can come down to one thing...

Duct tape.