As Luck Would Have It

"Aay! Aay! Aay!" Mila said as we bounced down the stairs. She likes to hear her voice go up and down so she adds some pep to our descent.

Alexis likes to hear Mila's voice go up an down as well, so a smile broke out across her face as we approached. Then, suddenly, the smile melted away.

"What is she wearing?" Alexis asked in a very serious voice.

"A shirt," I replied. It was clear Alexis knew exactly which shirt.

"But that's my shirt," she said coldly. It was actually her FAVORITE shirt, but she forgot to mention that part.

"Is it?" I replied. "Oh, I thought it would be cute on Mila."

"It's not cute," Alexis said. "I mean, she's cute, but that's my shirt."

"I thought you two could start sharing clothes. That way we won't have to spend as much money. Look, it fits her like a dress," I explained.

Alexis wasn't catching on to what was happening. Which, to be fair, she should have. She had already navigated her way through miles of yarn strewn across her bedroom and poured the blue milk over her cereal. Too many things were odd. She should have added them all up.

But she didn't.

So I let the shenanigans go on for another few minutes before finally saying, "Happy April Fools' Day."

"Oh, man! I forgot!" Alexis replied as she busted out laughing.

And that little scene is the exact reason Alexis didn't fall for the prank her teacher pulled in class. So not only was taking back April Fools' Day a good thing for me, it was a very good thing for the 9 year-old who was able to sit back and smile while her classmates panicked.

Taking Back The Fun

'Twas the night before April Fools and all through the house, sounds of UGH and NOOOO and ::sigh:: could be heard because ZOMG APRIL FOOLS IS THE WORST.

Ahem.

I vaguely remember a time in my life when I actually sort of liked April Fools. It was years and years ago when pranks were harmless yet fun. I was probably around Alexis' age when school was a day filled with suspicion and giggles because you never knew when your teacher was going to try to trick you with a fake test or made up history lesson.

It was all fun and games until the internet came along and ruined all of the fun.

I think that's what did it for me, anyway. April Fools was fun until the internet crashed the party with over the top pranks and believable products and all of that. The thing that strikes me about internet pranks is that they pretty much always suck because there's a disconnect between the pranker and the prankee.

For example, a fake positive pregnancy test prank could be funny if it's between two people who will get the joke. When you post a fake positive pregnancy test on Facebook, though? You not only miss out on seeing the prankees' initial reactions, you become a giant jerk. Sorry, but those sorts of pranks just aren't funny for all audiences. They're downright hurtful for some.

That's how it is with most internet pranks, really. There are some people who get the joke but a whole bunch more who don't. And it sucks.

But in thinking about the olden days and how April Fools used to be my jam, I decided today that I'm taking it back. I'm making April Fools fun again. And, no, I'm not about to prank you. I'm about to prank my 9 year-old who has the exact right sort of sense of humor to enjoy a few little tricks.

I taped streamers across her doorway so that she'll have to bust through them in the morning.

I'm going to put a few drops of food coloring in the milk so that her morning cereal is spiffy.

I might have put a fake spider in her lunchbox for tomorrow. Maybe. (It's bright pink, so she will only have a very minor moment of being alarmed. I don't want her to think it's real and do something that might embarrass her at school.)

And I'm going to come up with a few other smaller things to entertain her tomorrow.

It's going to be great.

Everything I've Learned Is Useless

The third time it happened, I knew. This "opposites" thing that is happening with the daughters born eight years apart is going to be that something that pushes my everything.

The Big Kid follows rules, almost to a fault. I mean, it will be a fault in a few more years, but right now it's pretty freakin' fantastic. She can't break rules. She's programmed that way. For example, she accepted AS A BABY that she wasn't allowed to open kitchen cabinets. She still today asks permission half the time.

She's just as crazed about every other rule under the sun. She does her homework without being told, she can't lie, and she rarely gets into anything that even sort of resembles trouble.

I'm not sure if Mila will be the opposite when it comes to rules, but I'm buying 23523423 rolls of duct tape just in case.

What I do know for a fact is that Mila is Alexis' opposite when it comes to The Feels thing. Alexis feels for other people at a level that can best be described as ZOMG. It's fantastic and wonderful but it's also terrible and no good.

For example, there was a news story about three years ago about a baby that was stolen from Magee Hospital. Alexis still asks about that baby. She wants to know if he's okay, if the person who stole him was punished appropriately (but not too harshly!) and is the mom okay? She really hopes the mom is okay. Tears have been shed over that baby many, many times.

Every day The Feels get in the way of Alexis enjoying life. She's learning to channel it in healthy ways, but it's still A Thing.

And then there is Mila.

Mila is the dear, sweet, spunky child who laughed and laughed and laughed until tears were running down her face this weekend. We were at a birthday party at a roller skating rink. As Alexis and her friends slowly rolled around in circles, Mila and I stood by watching. Each time someone fell, Mila laughed.

And laughed.

People falling is the funniest thing that has ever happened as far as she is concerned.

I think I might need more duct tape.