Sweet Mischief’s Rollercoaster Romance

"What cup?" Andre looked puzzled, glancing over at the water dispenser in the living room. Where was his cup?

Henry was the kind of kid who actually listened to reason-like when his mom gently took his little hand and told him not to block the garden sprinkler, or that the flowers and trees would get thirsty and wilt without water. He took it to heart.

So, Henry decided to water the trees himself.

At first, he tried carrying water with his tiny hands, but those chubby little fingers couldn't hold much at all-yet he still trotted over to his favorite ginkgo tree and tried to give it a drink.

Henry was no dummy. He quickly figured out this method was hopeless. So, dripping wet, he scampered back inside, hauled over his little stool, climbed up to the water dispenser, and made off with his dad's cup-off on a mission.

Mia came back into the room, holding a fresh shirt for Henry. "Henry, come change your clothes."

She walked over to the window just in time to see Henry, out in the rain, clutching Andre's cup. He filled it halfway at the outdoor faucet, then dashed back to pour it over his tree's roots.

went back and forth like that so many times," Mia said, shaking her head. "I was worried he'd drown the poor tree! So I told him, 'If the little tree drinks too much water, it'll get sick. It's had enough-no more watering, okay?' But then your son-who knows what

logic was simple: if Mom said the tree had too much water, he'd just scoop the extra back out. Of course, most of it had already soaked in, so he ended up squatting there, digging

was a total mess-mud from head to toe. Mia picked him up by the

thorough scrub before changing him into

sitting forgotten on the bathroom

was studiously

day like this, he wanted the full

I just gave him a water gun, turned off the garden sprinklers, and let him run wild. Water wherever you want,

was little and I had to carry him everywhere, I never

it was just her arms that ached. Now, her arms, her voice-"Henry! Get out here!"—and even her patience. "Don't run off, come here and let Mommy hold your hand." Sometimes it was just pure