A Well Trained Child Can Be a Pain
I know I am a loud mouth about training children. I believe firmly that children should obey their parents, keep their rooms clean, do chores and contribute to the family. I have taught my children these things and they have perfected it….perfected it to the point of being annoying.
They put away everything….everything. Even if I don’t want them to. All day long things being put back in their place with me wandering around looking for them. I know what you’re thinking. 1) “Is she serious? She’s going to complain that her kids are TOO NEAT?!?!?!” 2) “This woman should come to my house and have my problems.”
Stay with me here. It’s not all it’s cracked up to be. At least twice daily I think I am losing my mind because of these neat freaks. This is what happens:
Me: “Where’s the fork I just set out for my salad?” One of them: “Oops! Sorry Mommy, I washed it and put it away.”
“Where are those scissors I was just using?” “Oh I’m sorry Mommy, I put them back in the sewing room.”
Where’s the towel I just got to dry the dishes? In the cabinet. Where’s the ball I just got out to play with Levi? Toy box. The cell phone I was just using? Charger. Tape? Drawer. Book? Shelf. ACK!!!
Last week my friend Pennie left her phone cord in my car so we made arrangements for me to leave it on the front porch for her to pick up. When she got here she looked all over, couldn’t find it then finally knocked on the door. My kids had seen it on the porch and put it away in my bedroom with my other cords. Drat those tidy children!
When I was expecting Noah, my midwife came to my house for all of my prenatals. She was a relaxed kind of gal and would kick her shoes off when she walked in the door. EVERY time she went to leave her shoes were gone. My kids had put them in my closet.
It’s like living with elves…you remember the ones….that came into the shoemaker’s shop at night and made all of the shoes. Except in that story the Shoemaker and his wife live happily ever after. In my story the mother gets carried away in a straight-jacket.
Once when I was cleaning the boys’ bathroom I set my wedding ring on the edge of their sink. Noah decided to protect it so he picked it up and put it on the bedside table in my room. Patience saw it there, thought it was misplaced and carried it to the kitchen to give it to me, but I wasn’t there so she set it on the shelf over the kitchen sink. By this time I had discovered that it was missing and was going all over the house looking for it. Hope saw it in the kitchen, remembered me saying, “Never leave a ring on the shelf over the kitchen sink,” so she picked it up and put it on the mantle where she thought it would be safe. Grace sees it on the mantle, knows it doesn’t belong there so she puts it in the….wait for it….the BOYS’ BATHROOM where she knows I am working. The ring had made it back around to its original spot. I spent more time looking for it than I did cleaning the bathroom.
So, the next time you set your drink down and walk away, think of me when you come back and it is still there. When you are reading a book and have to go to the bathroom…be glad your book is waiting for you when you return.
And whatever you do…don’t wish for someone else’s life. You never know what insanity lurks around in their house.
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!
NOT a problem round here! 🙂
You are funny, sent me a few!
Oh Lisa, too funny! I only wish I had the same problem with my grandchildren! LOL!
This cracked me up!!!!
That is too FUNNY! Our problem here is when the boys put stuff away they have a tendency to put it where we had it stored 1 to 2 houses ago…. and we have lived in this house for 18 months. Like I can remember where something was 15 minutes ago let alone 2 to 8 years ago!!
LOL
What a dreadful problem…
I can see how it could make you a bit crazy – I’d like to be a bit crazy like that….
The ring story is a hoot – I do that to my husband (the fork thing) drives him nuts.
Hilarious!
My husband does this, especially with dishes. I will have a cup, leave the room, come back….cup is gone. So, when I come to get my drink and it is still there, I’ll be happy for me and hopeful for you that yours is also still there. 😉 And if it’s gone, as it often is, I’ll chuckle knowing at least I’m not alone in this.
So how is it that you created these monsters? I’d like a few of them around here.
That is funny, is that what you call over trained??
My kids are good at putting stuff away (not when I am using it though), but not always where it goes so then the search is on, the result one frustrated mummy!
That is soo neat!! Mom has also taught us to put things away when we pull them out, although we haven’t ever been that good at it! The little kids are still in training.
Many Blessings!
~Kristiana
ok, can i just have half the tidy factor? how how how? did you get them to do that.
we require chores. we require obedience and respect. but they don’t seem to get this one!
train on!
Gee. I don’t imagine you’re getting a lot of sympathy on this one. But if you want to come to my house and leave things out, you’ll find them right where you left them. Every single time. No little elves here going around cleaning up after anyone. Unfortunately. 😉
I have yet to have that problem around here-well, with the kids anyway.
I am terrible about taking Mark’s coffee cup and other cups away before he is done with them though.
Oh how I hope I can train my children that well!
Do you know where your children [have put it]? A.dor.ABLE!
So when can we expect the tutorial on this one? =-)
LOVE them. And you. Thanks for the giggle 🙂
Nope, sorry, not feeling bad for you yet!
My mom and I do this when I’m at her house. She’ll put stuff she needs later on the counter, and I clean it up. We call it being counter-productive. (Sorry for the bad pun!)
I have failed as a mother… My children can’t even keep their rooms clean. I’m packing up the car with 3 teenaged girls and they be right over….
That, my friend, are some well trained children you have there!
xo Susan
I got such a kick out of this! My artsy oldest daughter is MESSY but we are training her otherwise. My 3 yr old WILD son is TIDY- go figure. If he picks something up in a store and I try to just set it where ever on another isle, he makes us ALL go back and puts it EXACTLY where it goes. His room stays clean 😉
Anyway, my mom ALWAYS dumps my drink! I learned to hide my cup! I would keep the same cup all day long if my mom wasn’t dumping it out and putting it in the dishwasher- my entire life!
I feel ya 😉
HELP! What age do you start? How do your everyday conversations go when they’re little? Does the training make your relationship unpleasant? Or are they just like that because they watch you all day (ouch for me)? I wish I could have watched you when your kids were little!
Okay, yeah send them to my house any time! I’ll pay their airfare.
And really, who leaves a book lying around when they have to go to the bathroom anyway? We all know you are going to take it with you! 😉
Love and blessings!
Sheri