One each — really!

“My mummy coming!” They’ve had their naps, they’ve had their snacks, and now it’s playtime before the parents show up. All the kids know this, and Noah is eagerly anticipating his mother’s immanent arrival.

“Mummy come!” Nissa is all over that idea. “Mummy come! Mummy!”

And then the inevitable happens.

“No!” Tyler is indignant. “MY mummy coming!”

And awaaaaay we go. The jockey-ing for supremacy: There is only ONE mummy in the universe — MINE! How dare you say she’s coming for YOU??? Or maybe the ‘reasoning’ is that if HIS mummy is coming for him, that means mine isn’t coming for me! (?) Or maybe they think I have some sort of arbitrary cap on parents? Only one per day, first come, first served, and the rest of you are SOL?

I don’t know why, “Oh! My mummy is coming, too!” provokes this response. All I know is that it does. Every time. It doesn’t matter that every weekday for months their parents have come to collect them, every single one of them. Nope. “NOT your mummy! MY mummy!!!”

Time for intervention.

“You’re right, Noah. Your mummy is coming.” The alarm crosses the others’ faces, but before anything comes out of their mouths, already opening to spew forth their vigorous denials, I keep talking. A little louder, and very, very, very clearly. “Noah’s mummy is coming. AND Nissa’s mummy is coming. AND Tyler’s mummy is coming.”

Noah’s wee face softens in dawning understanding. “TWO mummy coming?” There is wonder in his voice.

“YES, lovie!” Okay, so the boy can’t count, but he gets it. One mummy per child — enough to go around!!! “Two mummies. You’re absolutely right!”

Noah beams and breaks into applause, proud of himself, pleased with my affirmation, and, probably, hugely relieved. Nissa’s mummy is coming, but that doesn’t mean his isn’t coming, too! The others are drawn into the glee, grins all round, applauding wildly.

Phew.

And that Noah? What a SMART little dude!