Yesterday afternoon-

Mom: Your dad is already trying to decide which playground to get Clay.

Me (looking up from the Target sale paper. You KNOW that's a Sunday must read.): What? A playground?

Mom: Yeah, you know like one of those big wooden playgrounds.

Me: You're kidding. He's 17 months old!

Do you know what my brother and I had as a "playground" when we were kids? One of those little metal swing sets. Not only that, but my dad refused to anchor it into the ground, so we couldn't swing high without fear of turning it over. (Which we most certainly DID NOT try.) And during hunting season, this became the place in the yard where the deer were gutted. I watched it many times. Don't get me wrong, I loved my swing set (except for the deer gutting part) but it was no big wooden playground.

Okay, let's talk this out, shall we? If you're a parent, I know some of you have witnessed the same thing that I have. It is one of the most fascinating things I've ever seen.

Let me say, that I'm not jealous in any way. I love my nephew very much and love buying him things and taking him places, but I sit and watch my dad with Clay, and I think. Who the hell is this man?

And don't let my mom fool you. She's the same way. Clay is in constant need of a new toy. You should have seen the load the kiddo got for Christmas. Oh, and did I mention he has his own room at their house?

I know they just love him and are just being good grandparents and it really is sweet to watch, but these are not the people that raised me. They've transformed into mush. I just sit there in awe while watching them with him. All I can really do sometimes is shake my head.

I'm sort of convinced that aliens came and took my parents away and replaced them with these two people called Grandma & Grandpa.

That's it...as soon as he can clearly ask for things, I'm teaching him to ask them for a pool.