It is one of those rare occasions where I am home alone with the three kids. This situation requires just the right coincidence of events kind of like a full solar eclipse except that people look forward to the eclipse. In this case, it was a weekend which meant we were down to one ayi and the ayi on duty is the one that goes home at 8:30pm vs. the one who lives with us. Yang’s mom would typically be with us if I was going to otherwise be alone with the kids but she had another commitment. And Yang’s mahjong (or was it tennis) game ran long. So this left me alone with the three Beijing Allio kids.

The older kids were great, showering up and going to bed. No fuss, no worry. Elisa on the other hand is used to Yang or our live in nanny helping her to sleep. She was in the back bedroom with head on pillow watching TV while I was in the living room watching Dexter. I hear a piddle paddle of little feet and it is Elisa running to get snacks from the kitchen. I hand her a cookie and she’s back to her bed. All seems well then 30 minutes later I hear a low sobbing from the back bedroom. I go check and it is Elisa, trying to be brave but not able to keep it together. Especially not during commercial. I walk into the room and she tells me to go to sleep. Her cartoon comes back on and she calms down. A few minutes later another commercial and more crying from the back bedroom. Elisa is still firm that she does not want my help. We repeat the exercise during the next commercial break.

The next day Elisa is talking with the ayi and Yang. Elisa is very proud. She is saying “I told bobbi to go away. I did not let him into the room” which all ego aside is kind of cute.