Apparently it has been brought to my attention ,in regards to my recent post on work in my home, that my children do not feel they are guilty of performing half-jobs. I thought a little clarification would help enlighten them. You know you just did a half-job if....
1. You pick up everything off the floor and then move it to a higher location. i.e. the couch or computer table. While moving to higher ground is a good procedure in an impending flood it is not when cleaning the living room.
2. You fold all the towels nicely and then open the closet and shove them in. If you have to race to shut the door before you are toppled with the rejected towels it is a half-job.
3. You take your folded clothes to your drawer and then shove them all in the same drawer. There are 4 drawers for a reason. It may even help later when you just can't find that shirt that is know mixed and crammed in so tight you can't retrieve anything without a disaster.I know thinking ahead like that is unrealistic so just remember there is a maximum capacity per drawer please abide by that.
4. Again you took your clothes to the drawer shoved them in and then leave the drawer hanging open. I promise your clothes do not need extra ventilation and will not smother if you close the drawer. If you obey previous stated drawer limitation you might just actually be able to shut that drawer.
5. You set the table and then just give everyone a plate. While the plate is appreciated there are a few other things/utensils needed. Considering eating is a pretty frequent activity please recall what you needed for the last several meals. I know for Kristen this may be the appropriate place setting but then again even she likes to have a fork to hold in one hand while she shovels the food with her other hand.
I'm sure I could think of many more but as to not overwhelm you with evidence I will leave it at that and look forward to being proved wrong with the full completion of these 5 things from here on. I know again maybe completely unrealistic expectations but a mother can dream can't she.
8 comments:
You always have me in stitches! I want to write like you- Erma, your the best !!!
Just when I thought it couldn't get any funnier- you topped it!! Aimee has her own way of telling me that she's going to do a half-job.. "I'm just doing an 'ok' job today, I'll do a 'good' one next time.." What's really funny is the fact that she tells me this BEFORE-hand!!
At least your kids clothes make it INTO the drawer. Some of my kids have piles of laundry sitting on top of the dresser. All they need to do is open a few drawers... Most of the time I even get it into their rooms, so they don't even have to take it from the laundry basket to their rooms to the drawers. But still, there it sits...
What is it about utensils and cups that seem forgotten when the table is set?!
Oh, the joys of parenthood! This just shows that one can't take anything for granted -- one has to start from SCRATCH in teaching children!
"She likes to have a fork to hold in one hand while she shovels the food with her other hand."
Another Heather classic. What an image - and what memories of my own shovelers!
Thank you for these wonderful clarifications. May I add them to the Merrell Family Handbook as well? We sure could use them. Along with: cutting a path from the door to your bed does not constitute cleaning up your room. :)
I'm not sure I understand this half-job designation thingee. Do two half-jobs equal one whole-job? I suppose that sweeping the floor is not a whole job until you empty the dust pan, into the garbage. Would dumping it out the window count as a whole job, I wonder? Do you realize that quarter-jobs do exist? Perhaps you should be content to count your many half blessings.
LOL...you totally crack me up! you def have a talent for writing. if you were to write a book on motherhood, it would be a best seller!
I agree if you took the term half-job literal it could get confusing but since it is not meant as a measurement but simply a term to back the theory that encompasses any incomplete job is then a half job. As for being grateful I just might go that route but I'm not sure it will be quite as satisfying as vocalizing my frustration. It's worth a try though.
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