The last time Piper went to Sissy’s piano recital, it wasn’t a complete success. I’m not a total rookie. I know that it’s hard work for a four-year-old to sit still and be reasonably quiet for an hour and a half. I brought along what I call “the quiet bag.” I filled it with stuff that-you guessed it-is supposed to help you be quiet. Crayons, coloring books, suckers, goldfish, books, etc. Each activity occupied Piper for three seconds, so by after the first minute of the recital, she was miserable. We survived, but I’m sure you can imagine how much we enjoyed it. Not much.

What a difference six months and a superhero make. This afternoon, on a whim, I picked up one of these at our neighborhood toy store:

It’s got stickers. You make a picture on a grid. Match up the number on the sticker with the corresponding 1-30 numbered grid. Voila. You have a picture of Spider-Man doing something awesome or fighting off someone evil. Piper completed 8 grids during the recital. She didn’t move a muscle except for her little pincher fingers as she peeled and pasted. I actually listened to piano music and watched Sissy perform three songs without interruption. Sissy played beautifully. Piper seemed to be listening. She was quiet, at least. I was a proud Mama.

“Can we get more of those number puzzle things?” Piper asked on the way to the car.

“Absolutely,” I said. “Spider-Man saved the day.”