Who Needs Sensible Shoes?

Trimming my kids toenails has always been a chore I disdain. Not because it's working with smelly feet - on the contrary, I have always loved my kid's feet. When I look at their feet, no matter what age, I always think of that first time I held them as newborns and counted each teeny, tiny toe to verify a full set of ten. I dislike trimming toenails because it seems to bother them beyond all normal reasoning.

After all, they are nail clippers, not implements of torture.

As they are getting older, they seem to be a little more rational about it; though, I still have to give them sufficient warning, cross my heart and hope to die it won't hurt and then proceed to chase them down as if they were a band of outlaws running from the hangman.

Last night, I was pleasantly surprised and quantifiably shocked when I completed the full set of toenails on my ten year old son and one of the seven year old twin girls with no muss, no fuss, bing, bang, boom, I am done. NEXT!

Enter twin number two. She hadn't been paying attention and didn't realize I had already completed the others. There hadn't been any agonizing death screams, no hysterics whatsoever. She was tentative, verging on incredulous. Seizing my opportunity, I assured her she hadn't heard anything because, I said with a very matter-of-fact tone, it didn't hurt.

To which came the even more matter-of-fact, most unpretentious, straight forward reply, "Well mom, what you don't know is that MY toes are very sensible." Well then baby, I will be extra careful. I wouldn't want to offend those delicate little digits. Then I placed her foot in my mouth and nibbled on each of those sensible toes until she completely forgot the terror awaiting her at the behest of the nail clippers.

The lesson we learn here, of course, is to always eat sensibly.