Let Me Be Clear. Oh, Never Mind.

Mowing with Jack, I drove by his little tractor & trailer (a leash was wrapped around the axle of his trailer and stretched out into the grass, which I couldn't see) and the mower caught the leash, violently dragging the little plastic trailer right up to the mower; the tractor jerked around in tow. I cut the engine and we got off to investigate.

J: (holding up a section of the mutilated leash) Oh, no. (lip quivering) Oh, no. Oh, no! (full-out crying spell for 10 seconds)

Me: It's okay. Your tractor's okay.

J: Momma, you run over my tractor.

Me: No, Jack, I did not run over your tractor. I ran over the leash that was tied to the trailer.

J: Momma, you run over my tractor.

Me: No, I did not run over your tractor.

We head back to the barn to untangle the leash from the blade. By this time Brian's all concerned about the mower having stopped and, seeing the tractor cinched up to the mower, is eager to assess the damage.

B: Did you not see the tractor?

Me: (to Brian, a bit exasperated) I did not run over the tractor. I ran over the leash, which was attached to the axle of the trailer.

B: Yeah, he asked me to tie it on. (Hardly able to stand waiting on me to look under the mower, he's asking questions left and right.)

J: Momma, don't run over my tractor again.

Me: I did not run over your tractor, just the leash, which I could not see because it was in the grass.

J: Momma, don't run over my tractor again.

Me: (presently on my stomach trying to untangle the leash) Okay, Jack, I will not run over your tractor again.

What had I accomplished by arguing with my 2-year-old about the fact that I had not run over his tractor when he'd forget all about it by tomorrow.


"Tomorrow"

J: We gonna mow?

Me: Maybe when Daddy gets home.

J: Momma, don't run over my tractor again. I wanna mow with Daddy today.