Backpack
Max brought his extremely full backpack into the family room and proceeded to clean it out (it was packed with junk from the last day of school.) After a couple minutes of pulling things out, one by one, he got frustrated and asked, "Mom? Can I just dump this out on the floor?"
I got as far as "Umm..." (because my brain was busy trying to process the potential repercussions) when he just upended the thing and shook it 5 or 6 times. It was like a classroom exploded. Fragments of broken crayons, pencils, lidless markers, tiny scraps of paper, and crumbs of every size and description went everywhere.
I got an "Oops. I'll clean it up..." when he saw me cringe. After discarding all the larger items, he said "Can I just vacuum up the crumbs and stuff?"
"Sure. But you need to clear off the rug some more so the vacuum can move around. Yep. Gotta move those cords out of the way. Video game stuff goes on the shelf. Mmm hmm...toys can go in that white basket. Dirty socks in the hamper. Hmm, you'll have to pull the rug a bit to flatten it out. Oh wow, look at all those crumbs over there too. Make sure you put those markers away. You can toss those empty boxes downstairs...ok! Ready to vacuum?"
He did the whole room and picked almost everything up and put it away. I was so proud and pleased, I gave him some cash as a reward. When ever he was tempted to half-ass part of the job, I'd gently nudge him with a suggestion. He's such a good kid. And a handy little cleaner! lol
We are almost ready for back-to-school. I just need to fill out all those pesky forms. Every year! Really, why can't they just put this stuff online?
I got as far as "Umm..." (because my brain was busy trying to process the potential repercussions) when he just upended the thing and shook it 5 or 6 times. It was like a classroom exploded. Fragments of broken crayons, pencils, lidless markers, tiny scraps of paper, and crumbs of every size and description went everywhere.
I got an "Oops. I'll clean it up..." when he saw me cringe. After discarding all the larger items, he said "Can I just vacuum up the crumbs and stuff?"
"Sure. But you need to clear off the rug some more so the vacuum can move around. Yep. Gotta move those cords out of the way. Video game stuff goes on the shelf. Mmm hmm...toys can go in that white basket. Dirty socks in the hamper. Hmm, you'll have to pull the rug a bit to flatten it out. Oh wow, look at all those crumbs over there too. Make sure you put those markers away. You can toss those empty boxes downstairs...ok! Ready to vacuum?"
He did the whole room and picked almost everything up and put it away. I was so proud and pleased, I gave him some cash as a reward. When ever he was tempted to half-ass part of the job, I'd gently nudge him with a suggestion. He's such a good kid. And a handy little cleaner! lol
We are almost ready for back-to-school. I just need to fill out all those pesky forms. Every year! Really, why can't they just put this stuff online?
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