Roberto Alejandro was always up to something. His teacher always told him that he was so smart that his brain got moving faster than his body and sometimes that got him into trouble.
As Roberto sat in time out, he figured that must be what happened. Either that, or adults just really didn't understand life.
Roberto had noticed that his Mommy's tummy was getting bigger. One night after dinner, his favorite dinner of macaroni and only one bite of vegetables, Mommy and Daddy said they wanted to talk.
"Uh-oh" thought Roberto. That usually meant he had to go to time-out and not play with his favorite toys. Roberto Alejandro thought about how he had cut in line at preschool that day and still couldn't understand why his mom and dad always knew everything!
Roberto became confused because his Mommy was smiling and his Daddy looked excited like his favorite football team just won the game! "Roberto, we have some special news," said Mommy. "Mommy's tummy is growing because she is going to have a baby. You are going to be a big brother!" said Daddy.
Roberto smiled because Mommy and Daddy were smiling, but inside his heart felt funny. He felt excited and scared all at the same time. They all hugged and then it was time for bed.
After Mommy and Daddy prayed with Roberto and left the room, Roberto stared at the ceiling for a long time. Inside his heart started to feel very scared again and then he thought that maybe his parents were worried about the new baby and wouldn't notice him so much anymore. He couldn't fall asleep so he decided to play.
Since he was the big brother now, he decided he was older and that must mean it was time to get the remote controlled truck that was on the top shelf of his closet. Grandpa had said that it was a gift for when he was older. Roberto snuck out of bed and climbed on the dresser and hung on the clothing railing in the closet and used his other little hand to knock the box to the floor. "CRASH". He hoped Mommy and Daddy didn't hear. He was very quiet and listened.
He heard snoring and knew he was safe. He hopped down to the floor and tried to open the box. Grandpa sure did a good job with this box he thought. He started ripping the box apart and soon the floor was covered with cardboard, Styrofoam and a bright, new, shiny red truck. Roberto raced the truck around the floor.
Roberto asked for too many glasses of water before bed and realized he had to use the bathroom. With very quite tippy toes, he scurried down the hall. When he started to wash his hands, the slippery soap jumped out and broke in half in the sink. Roberto's brain started doing that thing when it moves really fast and he wondered how many pieces he could break the soap into. Roberto forgot to turn off the water faucet while he broke the soap into lots of pieces. Soon he noticed that the water was right at the edge of the sink! "Oh no!" he thought. He wasn't sure what to do, so he started pushing all of the pieces of soap down the drain. He turned the water off, but the water wouldn't go away. Roberto thought about never coming out of the bathroom again so that his parents would never find out. Then he thought of the BEST IDEA EVER!
He would tell his parents that his baby brother did it! With his new-found plan and his racing brain, Roberto decided to see what else he could create in the bathroom. Roberto saw a large jar of stuff that looked like lotion and he decided to put it on his body like he had seen Mommy and Daddy do. Something seemed wrong with the thick, clear lotion, but Roberto kept going. He rubbed all over his body and looked in the mirror. His whole body was really shiny. He couldn't get that thick, clear lotion off of his hands, so he decided to give himself a bath because his whole body felt slimy.
Roberto wasn't sure how to make the water stay in the tub, so he covered the drain with a cup and turned the water on full blast. Before he could get in to clean the slimy lotion off of his body, he heard a knock at the door. Roberto had locked the door when he thought he might need to live the rest of his life in the bathroom.
"Roberto, open this door RIGHT now," Daddy said. Roberto was very afraid. He looked at the tub that was filling up. He looked at the sink full of broken soap and water and he looked down at his very, very shiny belly. Then, he remembered something, his baby brother did it!
Roberto hopped over to the door and struggled to open it because his greasy hands kept sliding over the handle.
Roberto's Daddy walked in a groaned. The bathroom was completely disheveled and his son was covered in Vaseline. Water was spraying from the shower head and the water line of the tub was almost over flowing. Daddy turned the water off and unplugged the drain. "Roberto, what happened?" Daddy said. Roberto could tell Daddy's voice was angry but he was trying to be nice at the same time. Roberto wasn't worried.
"The baby did it," Roberto said, very pleased with his answer.
"Rhonda," Daddy called. That was Mommy's big person name. A very pregnant Rhonda waddled into the room and gasped. "The baby did it," Roberto repeated.
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How would you end this story on a teachable moment? So many topics to address! Trust, honesty, respect. Send your ideas! More to come!
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