Conspiracy Theory
the east coast. We took the girls to Doylestown, PA to visit the James
Michener Museum. The museum was hosting an exhibit on Jim Henson and we
thought it would be a great opportunity to learn about the genius
behind Sesame Street and the Muppets. After spending a fun couple of
hours at the museum, we decided to grab a late lunch at a local Thai
restaurant. Iris was getting a little cranky (which happens when she
hasn’t eaten in a while) and was really quiet. While sitting there
waiting for our order, for whatever reason, Robyn takes her sippy cup
and pushes it towards Iris. Iris, in her petulant mood, pushes it
back–only to have Robyn do it again. Iris pushes it back again, this
time with a smile on her face. Robyn, undeterred, pushes it back
again–also with a smile on her face. Cherise and I see trouble ahead
and we gently say "OK, that’s enough". But now, Iris and Robyn are
locked in their game. Back and forth they go, faster and faster until
finally the sippy cup gets away. At this point, they’re laughing
hysterically. Then it happened…
The girls locked eyes.
They smiled at each other.
They connected.
And life may never be the same…
You
see, to this point, the girls haven’t necessarily been sisters as much
as cohabitants in the Khaund household. There’s nothing wrong with
that. After all, Robyn isn’t mature enough to play Iris’ favorite
games and Iris is one of many cast of characters that Robyn sees in a
given day (and probably the least accommodating). In some ways, I
think Iris has treated Robyn like a curious wonder, sorta like if we’d
gotten a dog. She loves Robyn and loves having her around, but
currently more as an amusing diversion. It’s more a relationship of
observation with Iris commenting on Robyn ("oh, look at what Robyn is
doing now!") and communicating through Mommy instead of directly
("Mommy, can you tell Robyn to move? She’s blocking my way!").
But something had been brewing ahead of the "Sippy Cup Summit".
Robyn’s growing interactivity and Iris’ increased comfort with Robyn
was leading them to behave like (gasp!) sisters. At the end of a crazy
week filled with hotels, weddings, museums, and lots of time in the
car, perhaps their bonding was accelerated. All I know is at that
moment when they locked eyes, I swear you could a see a full
conversation in the three seconds that it took place.
"That was a great game."
"I love how we kept going even after Mommy and Daddy thought we’d stop."
"As if we’d listen to them. Hahaha."
"Hey, you’re fun!"
"Yeah, so are you."
"We’re gonna torture our parents for years to come, aren’t we?"
"Yes we are."
"I love you."
"I love you too!"
OK,
I added the last two lines because I thought it was cute. But I’m
telling you, in that instant when I spotted the two of them, I took a
huge swig of my water and realized there was no turning back. I
wouldn’t be so concerned if they weren’t so damned smart. To think
that when I was single, I said I wanted to marry someone smarter than
me. I never considered that the kids would be smarter than me as well.
We all know genius is far more capable when compounded. Hewlett &
Packard. Gates & Allen. Jobs & Wozniak. Lennon &
McCartney. Rogers & Hammerstein. Bert & Ernie. And now, Iris
& Robyn. But unlike the others, none of them had the same
parents. We can only hope they take pity on us.