Nicholas has a problem with his toenails. He gets extremely jumpy and a little upset if you mention it is time to cut them. It takes acts of God to actually convince him that cutting his toenails will not hurt. Most of the time, he will let Joel cut the little ones, after much negotiation. It’s when we try to cut the big toes, that Nicholas puts up his force field and tells us NO.

So, you might be sensing a story here. Yep. Saturday evening after dinner, Joel allowed me to escape to the grocery store for food. He and the boys usually do fine without me. After all, I’m the catalyst for bad behavior (more on that subject later). I mentioned to Joel on my way out that I had tried for two days to convince Nicholas to let me cut his toenails and now it was his turn. After I left, Joel struck up a deal with Nicky. The deal was that the boys would help their Dad change all the batteries in the smoke detectors and fix the broken light bulbs, and afterwards, Nicholas would let Joel cut his big toenails. Joel fulfilled his part of the bargain and Nicholas reneged.

Well, Joel, I, and Malina had been having conversations lately that we were starting to list consequences of actions without then following through. Once down that path, it is very hard to come back. With this thought in the back of his mind, Joel let Nicky know that he was disappointed in Nicholas’s choice and that he could sit on the couch until he was ready for his toenails to be cut. We all know that Dexter is stubborn. Nicholas isn’t as much. Until that night. Nicholas spent 1 hour on the couch before Joel relented because it was bed time. What is a parent suppose to do when involved in a face-off with a child? We try our hardest not to be put in those situations.

Anyway, by the time I got home, the boys were already upstairs and just climbing into bed. Joel filled me in on his evening after we tucked the boys safely into their beds. I’ve been in a face-off with Dexter before and I know it sucks for both parties involved. You feel like a bad parent either direction you take. My suggestion was, why don’t we cut his toenails while he is sleeping? At first, Joel didn’t like my idea, but then it started to grow on him.

Picture this scene: two parents creep into the children’s bedroom armed with a flashlight and a pair of toenail clippers. They silently tiptoe to the bed of the child with the long, sharp toenails. They kneel down and gently lift the covers, and pull out the offending feet. The husband grabs the big toe, while the wife shines the light on it and holds the covers up so that if the boy awakes, he won’t see the light. The first clip is made and the sound reverberates around the room. The foot jumps, the light is snuffed and the parents stay as still as mice. Both look at the sleeping boy. He doesn’t awake. The next clip is made and the pattern repeats itself. At this time the parents are near laughter because the scene is near absurd. Finally, the toenails are clipped to good enough standards and the parents creep back out the room. The Toenail Fairies have done their work for the night.