Meet the Newest Member of Our Family

This newest member of my family seems to be a trouble maker, popping up only at unexpected moments. This newest member seems to have the ability to disappear when he knows the blame will come his way. This newest member was not planned, but I am greatly amused by his presence.

Meet Ghost Kid.

Ghost Kid first left signs of his existence about three months ago when no one would claim ownership of the mess left in the basement. Three chipper "Not Me"s resounded when we inquired who to blame the mess on, so we were all truly stumped as a family to figure out who could possibly have caused the mess. Fortunately, our intuitive five year old noted, "It must be the ghost kid." Then, he shrugged his shoulders and walked away as if announcing a new member to the family was no big deal.

I was alarmed. Who was this Ghost Kid? He needed punished. How dare he come into my home, mess it up, and try to get one of my innocent cherubs into trouble. I needed to see him, but Evan adeptly replied that you can't see ghosts, so he wouldn't show up. Bummer.

Even though I haven't been able to physically see Ghost Kid, his actions continue to appear. Andrew misplaced his "Mouse and the Motorcycle" book, and after searching for a few minutes, he asked Evan about it. Evan replied that it must have been the Ghost Kid who moved it. Similarly, there was a wrapper left on the kitchen floor, and again, after three angelic kids of mine all denied putting it there, the answer became clear: The Ghost Kid did it.

The Ghost Kid even forced his impish behavior to extend beyond physical mischief; once we noticed a horrifying odor seeping through our living room. One by one, the boys all replied "Not Me." Evan just smiled and shrugged stating that of course it was The Ghost Kid.

So, as a mom, I am struggling to deal with my Ghost Kid. On the positive side, he hasn't added to my food bill at all; apparently, Ghost Kids don't need food. Ghost Kid doesn't talk back to me or even play his DS too much -- all awesome traits. But, Ghost Kid is always getting into trouble and I can't put him into time out. My fear? Ghost Kid could begin getting into serious trouble.

For now, I welcome the humor of the moment when Ghost Kid is introduced. He has hilariously become a part of our family. And I can count on the fact that the next time a muddy mess is left in the kitchen or clothes are scattered all over the floor. .. that the Ghost Kid is the culprit.