The Battle

For months, Sean has been preparing and planning for battle. Tomorrow is the day. Kids will battle Dads in our backyard in a capture the flag type game, and they will be allowed to use weapons. Examples include: marshmallow guns, nerf guns, rubber band guns, water balloons and water guns, soft balls, etc. Participants are also coming dressed for battle – face paint and camo. This event has been discussed daily…at length…with great imagination. Grandparents have been recruited as spies. Books have been read about battles. Sean and I have even asked a police officer about the legality of using the local airport for air support in dropping water balloons. He assured us that it was against the law but standing on a roof with water balloons was not – I thanked him for his help but let him know that the 7 year olds would not be on the roof, but it wasn’t out of the question for the dads.

Today, Sean was a little concerned that the Dads may beat them. So, we went to the local Marine Recruiting Office and asked for their advice. They pulled out a large white erase board and black marker and told Sean in detail how to defeat the Dads. The Marines also said if they did not already have prior commitments that they would have shown up in full gear to ambush the Dads. (I would have loved to seen the looks on the Dads' faces!) They told him they wanted a full report next week and gave him a couple of water bottles that say “Pain is weakness leaving the body.” Sean hung on every word and could repeat the battle plans after we left.

Pictures will follow…