Red Rover, Red Rover

The other day, the kids were in the backyard playing Red Rover (you know, “Red Rover, Red Rover, send so & so right over!) We recently took on two new daycare kids, a brother and sister, aged 4 & 5, so Red Rover is even more fun with more older kids who understand the game. As opposed to a recent Red Rover debacle where 4 yr old girl and 4 yr old boy broke into spontaneous gymnastics at an inopportune moment and took out 6 yr old girl whom they somehow forgot they’d invited to “come over”.

During this game, it appeared everyone was focused on the adventure at hand. Girls and boys had divided themselves into opposing teams. The boys called over 6 yr old girl, which I was thinking was a tactical mistake, given Blair and I call her The Bullet. I suppose the boys were thinking how tough they felt and how she would be a welcome addition to their young team, given she is the one of the oldest daycare kids. Anyway, over she came, and somehow the boy’s line held! Unbelieveable! The girls were reeling from the loss. They called over Nick, who did not break through their defenses and was now on the girls team.

So, the boys go for an easy one now. They call over New Boy’s sister, a known pansy (she dissolved into tears more than once in a previous game).  What they don’t know is that Pansy has a plan. She is tired of being the weak link. Tired of being the ‘easy win’. She begins her run over, giving no indication of her plan. She runs like a girl. Arms flailing, panting loudly, in a sort of prance-skip-hop run. Certainly, we were all thinking, the boys have got this one in the bag. She reaches the line and launches herself unexpectedly into the air and onto the boys clasped hands. The line breaks! The boys are aghast! What happened? Pansy is beaming, basking in her victory. I remind her she needs to pick a team mate to take back with her, and her brother and I are both thinking it’s him. He even starts back to the other line, taking a few steps, when, in an unexpected turn of events, Pansy grabs the hand of 6 yr old girl and races toward her team. Brother is open-mouthed.

Mid-yard, Pansy turns her head back toward the boy’s line and yells:

Suckers!

oh my:)