Betrayal Behind Enemy Lines

The day started out as any other- beautiful and sunny. DJ and I were sitting in the shade in lawn chairs in the front yard. DJ was watching Noah, his friend Logan and Logan's older brother Brian play with light sabres while I read a book.

Suddenly, I heard distant giggles and what sounded like a battle cry. I glanced up from my read to see something flying toward our yard from across the street.

"Incoming", I casually said and went back to my book just as a water balloon crashed and exploded in front of the three boys. Logan's dad and older sister, Kristen, had launched an attack from their front yard. The boys squealed with delight while DJ barked a call to "man your stations!". Thus began the Battle of the Pine Barrens.

Logan, Noah and DJ scrambled to the water faucet with balloons while Brian embarked on a covert mission to sneak behind enemy lines and confiscate a sling shot. All the while I, General Mom-battlefield commander, felt confident in my troops' ability to protect me and my perch and neither moved nor but down my book.

It was messy- water bombs were exploding all around me, people were soaked and squealing, but the battled waged on. Brian returned from his mission victorious with the sling shot and the boys immediately attached it to the fence posts and began launching water balloons across the street.

DJ was filling and tying the balloons while the three boys were launching them. Suddenly, Noah grabbed a balloon and took off running across the street in what seemed like a suicide mission. I gave my first official order of the campaign and told him to come back with the water balloon and put it in the sling shot. Brian broke rank and informed me that it was okay, because Noah was infantry. I told Noah to carry on and watched as my only son went forth to what was certain to be a good soaking.

Amazingly, Noah made it behind the enemy lines without much damage. Then I saw him grab some of their water balloons and come running back to our side. The boys were cheering thinking Noah had stolen ammo when Noah pelted them with the balloons!

"We have a traitor!", Brian yelled and Noah took off back across the street to his new home with Kristen and Logan's dad. Noah commandeered the water hose and posted himself at the fence edge and anyone coming within four feet of the enemy fence was sprayed with water.

The soldiers were growing weary and the ops tempo began to slow. Everyone was soaked except for General Mom and Noah. Brian and Logan were trying hard to get Noah, but he was holding fast with the hose, keeping everyone away.

Finally, with great authority, I ( General Mom) closed my book, left my command post and said, "Give me two balloons!". The soldiers quickly complied. I slowly marched across the street with the balloons behind my back. Noah never took his eyes off me. As I approached, he turned off the hose and said, " Hi, Mommy!".

I replied, " Hi, Noah" and pelted him with two water balloons. A split second passed where what had just transpired dawned on him and then a sulk washed across his face and he said, "Owwww! You're my MOM!"

I smiled and said, "Traitors never win!" and that signalled the end of the Great Pine Barrens Water Battle of 2009 and once again, General Mom came out on top!

I think there is a moral to this story, but I'm not sure what it is. ( Cheaters never win. Mom is always right. You pick.)