Fun to Irritation Ratio

Fun to Irritation Ratio: noun. The highly scientific ratio of a child's fun with a particular object versus their parents' irritation and frustration with their child for playing with that object.

I've just returned from a Thanksgiving trip to see my father, step-mother, younger sister and her family. We had a great time just drinking tea and taking outings. On one outing, my dad announced that he needed the moms and pulled Younger Sister and I into a toy store. We were instructed to pick one toy for each child. I chose a bowling set and those little puzzle mats you put on the floor.

Here's what I did not consider: Monkey Sons were going to need Mommy to set up those bowling pins, and it will be Mommy picking up all the letters that Monkey Son #1 punched out of the puzzle mats. Apparently, the letters do not belong in the pieces while he is building. I will admit that it is monotonous to have to do those things, but that is highly offset by the fact that the Monkey Boys are having such a marvelous time with them, and it allows me to play with them. Maybe it wasn't such a bad choice after all.