Adventures in Parenting

X Birthdays X

"Alright, Munchkin, time for bed!" Kagome exclaimed, turning off the TV.

"Aw, but Mama!"

Kagome just wagged a finger at him before she hefted him up off the couch into her arms. They'd been watching Wall-E and she'd even let him eat dinner at the coffee table as a special treat. It was his birthday and she felt bad about not being able to do anything really special. So they'd watched a rented movie and ate Kraft macaroni and cheese while watching it.

"Just because it's your birthday doesn't mean that it's not a school day tomorrow, mister. It's already past your bedtime."

"But it's barely even 9:00! I'm six now, Mama. I should be allowed to stay up later. I'm a big boy!" Shiro puffed out his chest, his hands bunched into fists on his hips.

Kagome tried not to laugh at the image of her son in his green panda shirt and Batman underwear and faded red socks on his stool in front of the sink posing like a super hero. Covering her smile with a hand, she merely ruffled his hair, stepping around him to pull out their toothbrushes and toothpaste from the medicine cabinet.

"I know you're big boy, sweetie. But big boys have bedtimes too. Yours is still 8:30." She handed him his Crayola toothbrush and bubblegum-flavored toothpaste. "Now brush."

Shiro grumbled as he brushed his teeth. He grumbled while he changed into his pajamas. He even grumbled when she tucked him in and kissed him goodnight. Turning off the light, Kagome smiled as he settled down in his bed and yawned.

"Good-night, birthday boy," she called softly as she closed the door halfway to let the hall light cut a blade of monster-killing purity into his dark bedroom.

Shiro yawned as he tiredly called back, "G'night Mama. Love you…"

"I love you too, sweetie," she uttered softly as she cleaned up their dinner dishes from the living room and ejected the rented disk from the DVD player she borrowed from Miranda upstairs. She'd have to return it tomorrow before she left for work.

Kagome sighed as she finally settled into bed. All the lights were off and the doors were locked. She'd washed all the dishes and set them on the rack to dry. Tomorrow, she had to get up early and get Shiro to school before going to the grocery store and then to work. "At least tomorrow's Friday…" she breathed as she drifted off to sleep.

Hmm… This one's short too… Not as short as Coupons, but still kinda short. Oh well. These are surprisingly easy to write and they go by pretty fast. Awesome. – Hope