Chenford family

Like Father, Like Son

It had been a hectic Saturday morning, but for now, things had settled down. Tim's mom, Lisa, was visiting, sitting at the kitchen table with Lucy while Tim worked on repairing the faucet under the sink. The older boys—Tayden, Ethan, Oliver, and William—were playing outside, while Alexander and Eliana stayed in the living room, their voices echoing as they busied themselves with toys.

The peace didn't last long.

A sudden loud giggle erupted from Alexander, followed by Eliana squealing, "No, Alex! Yucky!"

Lucy paused mid-sip of her tea. "What's he doing now?" she asked, half amused and half wary.

Tim, lying on his back under the sink, groaned. "If it's muddy hands on the couch again, I'm done."

But it wasn't muddy hands. Lucy peeked into the living room—and gasped. "Alexander! What are you doing?"

Standing proudly on the coffee table in the middle of the room, Alexander had somehow managed to strip down completely, his clothes scattered across the floor. But that wasn't the worst of it. He was holding one of Eliana's toy buckets... and using it as a makeshift potty.

"Alexander Samuel!" Lucy exclaimed, rushing over. "We don't do that! You know where the bathroom is!"

Tim almost banged his head against the cabinet he was working under and crawled out. "What now?" he asked, frowning.

Lisa, already laughing, stood up to follow Lucy into the living room. When she saw Alexander proudly holding his toy bucket like it was some great accomplishment, she burst into full-on laughter.

Lucy was struggling to contain her disbelief as she pulled the bucket away. "Alex, that's not where we go to the bathroom!"

Alexander looked genuinely confused. "But Elie said I can't leave the room, Mommy," he explained, pointing at his sister, who was watching with a mix of amusement and disgust. "I had to go!"

Tim walked into the room, his eyes widening as he took in the scene. He groaned loudly, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Are you kidding me? The bathroom is literally right there!"

Lisa, laughing so hard she had tears in her eyes, shook her head. "Oh, Timmy... you can't even give him a hard time for this one."

Tim turned to her, narrowing his eyes. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Lisa wiped at her eyes, grinning. "Because you did the exact same thing when you were his age."

Tim froze, his jaw dropping. "Mom! No. Don't."

"Oh, I'm telling it," Lisa said, her grin widening. "You were about three, just like Alex. I left you playing in the living room for a few minutes, and when I came back, there you were, pants off, proudly peeing into a toy dump truck like it was your life's mission!"

Tim's face turned beet red. "Mom, stop!"

Lisa ignored him, addressing Lucy with a mischievous smile. "And he looked so proud of himself, just like Alex does now. It was like he'd invented something revolutionary."

Lucy burst out laughing, clutching her sides. "Oh my gosh, Tim! That's adorable!"

"No, it's not," Tim protested, his voice high with embarrassment. "Mom, why would you tell her that?"

"Because it's true!" Lisa replied, still laughing. "And let's face it, Alex gets it from you. Like father, like son."

Tim groaned loudly. "You're encouraging him! He doesn't need encouragement!"

Lisa crouched down to Alexander's level, still chuckling. "Well, Alex, looks like you're just like your dad was at your age."

Alexander beamed, puffing his little chest out. "I'm like Daddy!"

"No, no, no," Tim said, holding up his hands. "We are not making this a thing. Lucy, stop laughing. Mom, stop giving him ideas."

Lucy couldn't help herself. She was practically in tears, imagining little Tim running around with the same mischief as his son. "I'm sorry," she said between giggles. "I just can't unsee it now. You must've been such a handful!"

Tim sighed, dragging a hand down his face. "This is mortifying. And you're encouraging him to think this is okay!"

Lisa smirked. "It's not okay, but it's hilarious. And come on, Tim, you turned out just fine."

Tim turned to his mom with a pointed glare. "I'm never going to live this down, am I?"

Lisa gave him a wink. "Not a chance."

Lucy knelt down to Alexander, who was still looking proud of himself. "Okay, buddy, let's get your clothes back on. Next time, you ask to go to the bathroom, okay?"

"Okay, Mommy," Alexander said sweetly, though his grin showed he wasn't entirely convinced it was such a big deal.

As Lucy helped Alexander get dressed, she glanced up at Tim, her eyes sparkling with amusement. "You know, this makes me love you even more."

"Why?" Tim asked, exasperated.

"Because now I know you've been a little chaos gremlin your whole life."

Tim groaned, but he couldn't hide the small, embarrassed smile tugging at his lips.

Lisa clapped him on the back. "Cheer up, Tim. At least now you get to see what I dealt with. Full circle, huh?"

Tim shook his head, muttering, "I'm never letting her babysit again."

Lucy chuckled, hugging Alexander tightly and marveling at how much her mischievous little boy took after his dad.