Sea Lawyers.

Here's the latest fiasco .....

John comes in on Thursday and asks if he can take "Dad's new tent" outside and set it up. The answer from both Jim & I was in no uncertain terms, "NO!". It's Jim's new 6-man tent that is intended for a family camping trip this summer. (Which will probably be a future fiasco in and of itself.) We really didn't want the neighborhood gang of kids rolling around in it with their "bug & stick" collection.

Fast forward a couple of hours and one of the neighborhood teenagers, Alex, is walking John to the front door crying with a newly skinned knee. But they're coming from our backyard. So silly me asked Alex, "What's going on in the backyard that brought you down the street?". "Oh, I was just setting up the tent for the kids. They came and asked me for help."

So this is what "Detective Mom" was able to piece together:
1. John was told that "HE" couldn't take the tent out and set it up.
2. However, Madde (one of the gang) was never given those instructions directly, even though she was standing 3 feet behind John when he received his instructions.
3. Madde "sneaked" the tent up the basement stairs and outside.
4. John & Madde proceeded to ask Madde's Mom, Rose, if she would help them set up the tent. Rose was too busy (and knew nothing about the "sneaked" portion of the story).
5. When Mom says no, go ask Alex down the street.
6. The tent was set up in a strategic location behind the garage where it would not be noticed as easily or quickly. Also, somewhere along the line Ros got in on the caper.
7. John skins his knee on the driveway and we're back to me asking Alex a silly question.
8. Parental involvement included Rose not allowing Madde to play at our house on Friday and no one would be allowed to play in the "illegally assembled" tent. (Jim was leaving to take Pete to LaCrosse practice and I had hockey practice so there was no time to take the tent down there and then.)

Fool me once, you earn points for ingenuity. A nice bit of "Sea Lawyering", especially for two 4 year olds and a 5 year old.

Friday Jim left for a London trip and the tent still hadn't been taken down. Now it's Saturday and Ros & John were "reminded" that they were not to play in the tent nor were their friends. If their friends didn't follow the rules they were to tell me so that I could talk to them. Later, I was trying to get some of my homework done. (Once again, silly me.) Ten minutes later I went outside to water the garden and guess what I see? Madde & Ros in the tent along with the lantern, 2 sleeping bags, a box of books & a bucket of blocks.

Fool me twice, the tent is disassembled, you're grounded and your friend is sent home. The end.