Month 17

Once upon a time there was a little boy who after many happy nights playing in his bath, decided one day he would not, could not take another bath. "Oh dear", cried his mother, "How will I get my child clean?"

The mother fretted greatly about this most curious behavior. Her very happy little boy would suddenly melt down at the first sound of the running water. After lamenting to all who would listen she began to get advice from the townspeople. Perhaps he is afraid that his bath means he must go to bed, said one. No, no said another, it is a phase that he must go through.

Then finally, one day, the mother received a package from a good neighbor filled with 11 rubber ducks. That night the mother dumped the package of ducks into the bath and filled the tub. As soon as the young boy saw the ducks he cried out with glee! Quack, quack, quack, he said. After splashing with his new friends for nearly 30 minutes, the father pulled him out of the cold waters with much protest. And now each night the father sits for 20-30 minutes with 11 ducks and one very happy boy.

The moral to the story: At 17 months, it's finding the little nuances that can make life like living on a pristine lake or like digging out of a sinkhole.