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M. N. Tarrint's avatar

That's pretty funny stuff! I think a lot of parents would relate to this sort of subject. Mine is 16 now but when she was six, she attended two birthday parties in one day and then fell asleep in the play tent in our living room that night. I woke up midnight hearing "Mom!" and crying. I swear, barf covered the sleeping bag and the tent floor. I chucked the whole thing out back and threw the kid and then me in the shower. Ew.

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Walter Rhein's avatar

Poor thing! Little kids party hard at birthday parties! Thanks for sharing!

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Susan Gorman Gerke's avatar

Love it. I survived the Legos, just barely but now I’m grappling with kibble.

My dogs will eat their kibble with precision leaving half of the bowl divided right down the middle and yet there are hidden kibble traps everywhere.

Stepping on them barefoot feels like a shot up from the foot to the hip. In the kitchen’s smooth flooring wearing slippers and stepping on one of these hidden mines you get why they’re called slippers.

Canned dog food is smelly and expensive. I supplement their kibble with cooked chicken liver, salmon skin and other goodies but kibble is the mainstay. And when they curl up with me and use my leg as a headrest I melt.

What’s another bruise or two when you have love like this?

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Walter Rhein's avatar

The older I get, the more devastating stepping on some unknown object becomes. It's like getting a flat tire on your car. My dog manages to spill his food all over the place too, but he's a good boy :) Thanks for the comment!

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James H's avatar

perfect story to send off to my son and partner who are expecting their first child. i can't tell you how many times i've taken the Lords name in vain over GODDAMN legos.

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Walter Rhein's avatar

The worst part is that you have to learn how to take the pain because if you jump and slip you'll fall and hurt yourself worse. :) Ah... the joys of being a parent. At least stepping in unicorn poop is soft.

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Dr. Wallace. Embody Evolution's avatar

What a wonderful writing! Thank you for your modern day heroism just in case no one remembers to tell you today!

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Walter Rhein's avatar

Thank you, that's a lovely comment! I need to do some more stories about my kids. They always make me feel happy :) Your comment is very kind and I appreciate it greatly!

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Michelle Spencer (she/her)'s avatar

Thanks for this charming story, Walter.

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Walter Rhein's avatar

Thanks for reading! I have a few more of these that never really got much traction on Medium :)

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Michelle Spencer (she/her)'s avatar

I’ve restacked it and hope you get enough traction here to share them too.

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Walter Rhein's avatar

Thank you very much. Yes, I plan on doing a "Craft of writing" type article on Monday and a humorous short story on Thursday. I'm settling into a nice routine on Substack, this is a fun platform!

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Mar 17, 2024
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Walter Rhein's avatar

Haha, thank you so much for that delightful comment! I do a Medium tutorial on Monday and a funny story on Thursday. If I keep getting such nice reactions, maybe I'll do more of the funny stories :)

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Mar 17, 2024
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Walter Rhein's avatar

You can comment all you want!

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Mar 17, 2024
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Walter Rhein's avatar

Thanks for reading!

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