Silence

Everyone with kids knows that silence is never a good thing (unless the kids are asleep). If it's too quite, then something must be wrong. Well in our house, there really isn't ever silence. Joey's a loud one. He screeches all day long. Just try to have a conversation with me on the phone and you'll see what I'm talking about!

So tonight, after Joey finished his dinner, I was doing his dishes when he wandered out of the kitchen and into the living room. Now this is also a rare occurrence, as Joey almost NEVER leaves my side. There is no such thing as him playing by himself while I am doing something around the house.

I finish his dishes and he is still in the other room, so I decide to take advantage of the rare moment alone and start cutting vegetables for the adult dinner. After I get through slicing tomatoes, I decide to move on to the onion. Only I realize that it has been quiet for almost 4 entire minutes and still no sign of Joey. So I yell toward the other room -

"Joey, are you being a good boy in there?"

No answer.

Then I hear "meeeeoooowwwww!" It's Bill - our cat.

I walk into the living room where I see Joey crouched down on the floor looking at Bill. When Joey hears me he jumps up and spins around with a guilty look on his face (he knows he's not supposed to mess with the cat).

I look at Joey and say "Remember, do nice kitty."

So he leans back down with a devilish grin and starts petting the cat. I start to turn my back and out of the corner of my eye I see him return to what he was doing before I came in. Trying to take off Bill's "hat."

What is this "hat" that I speak of? It's one of those cones that keeps an animal from licking their wound.

Why does Bill have to wear such a hat? Because he bites his tail until it bleeds.

Why does he bite his tail? Because Joey screeches and cries so loud every day that Bill gets super nervous and doesn't know what to do. So he bites his tail!!

Although Bill would rather enjoy a little silence everyone once in a while - at least for the sake of his tail - I, on the other hand, have gotten used to the sounds of Joey's squeals. So when I do hear silence, I get nervous. And after today, I know it is for good reason!