Mama's Stroke of Genius

One common fight that BBJ and I have is over who gets to play on the piano. First, I sit down at the piano to practice. She hears the music, enjoys the music, dances a little bit....grooooves just a tad. She might crawl under the piano after a few minutes, to better enjoy the acoustics. (Have you ever listened to someone play from underneath the piano? It's so loud!)

After a few minutes of playing under the piano, she will pull herself up on the piano bench and play a few notes, looking at me. Then she'll turn and pat the bench while I pretend not to notice. Then she'll play a few more notes, more forcefully and hit the bench, watching me. Then she full-out wales on the piano, smacking the bench with her other hand, screwing up her face in a dramatic cry and tell me what's what. By then, I might notice her, at which point she must be put into my lap so she can play...and only she can play - she removes my hands from the keyboard! Today, we came up with a fantastic compromise. This was my stroke of genius for the day.


Here, BBJ just realized that my red-eye reduction light was shining on her arm and she was trying to grab the light. That, or her left hand didn't want her right one to play. You can take your pick!