A key to the jail

I went out to the backyard to find Allie and Lily playing in a pile of papers. Lily put her papers behind her back and Allie ran away from the pile when she saw me. So I knew that something was wrong with the picture. I got closer to find that the papers they we playing with weren't just papers. It was the neighbor's mail. Mortified, I gathered things up (trying not to look in case it was sensitive information) and lectured them about opening mail. They both knew whose mail it was, so it's not like they thought it was mine and got the wrong box. They intentionally opened the neighbor's mail. Little punks!

I took Allie by the hand, with the stack of mail that looked like it had been mauled by two 4 year old girls, and marched over to our neighbor's house. We shook the sand off and talked the whole way there about not opening other people's mail. Allie still didn't have the look of fear on her face, and I didn't know how to impress the importance of never doing this again. I hoped when she had to confess her crime to the Baltzer's, she could show remorse.

Terry opened the door and Allie gave her the stack of papers with a smile on her face. She wasn't showing remorse, so I said "Allie, did you know that it is illegal to open other people's mail?" She still had the smile, so I pressed things further. "Allie, if Terry wanted to, she could have the police man come and you would get in trouble for opening her mail. We are lucky that she is nice."

The smile was gone and Allie hid behind me looking at Terry as if she had the phone in her hands dialling 911. Instead of leaving Terry with our apologies, Terry felt like she had to convince Allie that she wasn't going to call the police and that she was not mad about the mail. I guess there was a flaw in the plan.

Anyway, we came home and started lunch. I thought things were over, even though I was still annoyed that the whole thing had happened in the first place.

Half way through lunch, Allie said "mom, do you have a key to the jail?"

I said that I didn't. Then she said "Well, don't you want to keep me forever?" I was still unsure of where this conversation was going, but I assured her that she was mine forever.

"But if you don't have a key, how will you come into the jail to see me?"

I had to laugh. All through lunch, she was thinking out the long term consequences of being in jail. I wish I could see inside her mind. Was she thinking this was her last meal with her family before officer friendly would take her to jail? If you remember, she still has a fear of jail because you can't have any privacy when you poop. Anyway, I feel bad that she opened their mail, but I also feel bad that she thinks Terry is going to call the cops and put her in jail. I hope we have worked it all out now. It's kind of a double insult to the neighbors, opening their mail and causing fear to strike the heart of my child whenever she sees them...