My twin grandsons were tired and hungry, and the trip from their preschool to my place was fraught with arguments, crying, and punching. By the time we arrived in my carport, one of them was close to hysterical and I knew that I needed to respond to the feelings he didn’t know how to express in any other way. As I unbuckled his seatbelt and wrapped my arms around him, I said, “What can I do to make you feel better?” His reply, in between his sobs, was, “Give. Me. A. Treat … and it can’t be protein or fruit!
Kathleen Joy Anderson retired from teaching years ago. She now writes, and has published poems and essays.