Picture yourself sitting in a corner of a playroom surrounded by legos and Barbie dolls feeling at peace with only the whisper of cartoons being heard in the background, you randomly get hit with foam blocks simultaneously you get knocked down by a voice demanding attention, while at the same time trying to block sticky tiny hands from shaking you. After a bit, they start to calm down and decide to go back to watching cartoons while you lay there on the floor with your hair sprawled around wondering what you had gotten yourself into. It always seems like the task will be easy just playing and watching kids until their parents get home, but it never is. Everything that needs to be done is always turned into a competition where someone always gets hurt in the end. Everything you ask them to do usually always comes back to you having to do it instead, but you can't let them get to your head you have to always stand your ground, or else they'll walk all over you. You have to try and assert yourself, ignore all the “But mom never makes us” and make sure and try to get them to clean up. 

You might think you'll get a break, but you need to give them their lunch. As we change locations you make sure to warn them to not run as soon as you finish a smack is heard followed by eye contact- (make sure you don't break it and do not react) a snicker is heard behind you and the crying begins. You hear the pitter-patter of feet running off to the kitchen “I'm gonna beat you” in a mocking tone, as soon as that's said the crying stops and a race to the kitchen begins. As I look at the time and realize it's only been two hours I head to the kitchen listening to the requests being made. As soon as they get their food they run to the living room, as they eat make sure to wash the plates and clean up the counter. When I start walking to the living room I see that they’re fully immersed in the t.v - it's a good distraction for a while, but as soon as the episodes are over you're ordered to play with them. 

As you get dragged back into the playroom I become the cashier at Lexi's Shop- I sit in a tiny chair until it's time to check out. When it's time to scan the items I ask them how their day has been, when they start sharing the different events that happened to them throughout the day this is the part I always enjoy, they both take turns telling me about what they're learning in school, how recess is, what they do with their friends when they finally finish I glance at the clock only to realize there's an hour until they have to go to sleep. This is always the hardest part as I tell them that it's time to clean up. They refuse and run to the door, but you always beat them to it. We started to clean up the playroom. The occasional whine is heard, but all the plastic food, legos, and Barbies get put away. We went to the rooms where they changed into their pajamas and brushed their teeth before finally going to sleep. As soon as the door is closed you go back to the living room to clean everything up, but you always get to think about how even though a lot happened throughout the day it's always good to listen to the stories you get told and act like a little kid for a little almost like a release from the stressors of the outside.