Even the Odds

Sharing a home with the two yard apes known as Poe and Poodle is usually a great deal of fun but does present occasional parenting challenges.  Like figuring out who gets to tell about their day first.  Or who gets to pick out the movie we're going to watch.  Or settling who gets the purple cup this time.  Fortunately, I've come up with a pretty good solution for all these things, and it doesn't involve caning them, locking them in a closet, or anything else that might attract negative attention from child protective services.

After the five gazillionth argument over the highly regarded purple cup, I had an epiphany.  I produced a quarter and instructed Poe to call heads or tails.  He won the toss, but that didn't settle the argument.  Instead, I had him choose odd or even.  With a puzzled look on his face, he chose even.  I consulted the calendar and told them "Today is an odd-numbered day, so Poodle gets the cup.  Tomorrow is an even numbered day, so Poe will get the cup."

Ever since, any time there is an argument over who gets to have, choose, go first, or whatever, they go to the calendar.  Odd days are hers, even days are his.  Argument settled, and it requires no parental interference at all - they can figure it out themselves.

Should we have a third child, we're screwed.