Can You Hear Me Now?

When two 5 year olds and a three year old ask you if you would unplug the phone so they can play pretend with it...be very, very skeptical.

When you check on the 3 and 5 year olds and they have "that look" in their eye that something is just not quite right...trust your instincts.

When they say they were "just trying to call themselves"...be very, very scared.

When they say they tried to plug in the phone for just a little bit, but it kept coming out again...try to get the whole story.

When your phone rings and the caller id shows a number EXACTLY the same as yours with only ONE digit different...be very, very frustrated.

When you ask if they called anyone and they sheepishly say "yes, but we hung up on them"...be thankful they didn't call 911.

When you discover the phone adapter is broken and they say "it wouldn't come out, so we yanked it out"...breathe very, very slow.

When you need to vent a little and get the advice of a veteran mom of four...use your phone-a-friend lifeline.

When you lecture the children about being truthful, phone usage, asking first, and prank phone calls...look very, very disappointed.

When you are coming up with jobs to make them earn money to pay for the broken phone adapter...think big.

When you pay them each a dollar for all of their work and then tell them it will take three dollars to pay for the broken adapter...be very, very thankful the ordeal is over...and try not to smile.