We have an unspoken rule in our house: your room should be clean before you go to bed. (Not that I always personally adhere to it- it's mostly for the kids). We started this about 2 years ago when Courtney first started sleeping in a big-girl bed. We were worried that if her toys were all over the floor, she might wake up in the middle of the night. Then, either A) she could trip on them and fall, or B) Keith and I would be digging Barbie shoes out of our feet in the dark. No fun for anybody. So we started cleaning up before bedtime as part of her daily chores.
We didn't have to try hard. Courtney is, by nature, a very organized person. She has a place for everything and everything goes in its place. Very rarely do I find a kitchen toy in her shoe basket or a Barbie in the toy box. She has baskets and buckets and shelves, and is very particular about how things go. This is an amazing quality, from the viewpoint of a mom. I've tried my best to encourage it, but last night I couldn't stop laughing about it!
Courtney had gone to bed: teeth brushed, story, bedtime prayers, the whole bit. She had been quiet for about 5 minutes, when all of a sudden she started to cry hysterically. She rushed out of her room, tears flowing down her face, hands clasped together in a way that would put the best beggars to shame.
"Oh, Daddy!" She cried in a pitiful, Shirley Temple impression. "Oh, Daddy, oh Daddy!!"
"Yes, Courtney?"
"Oh, Daddy, I just have to put things away, but I don't know where they go. They're all out and they're not where they go! I don't know what to do! I have to put them away, Daddy! Oh, Daddy, will you help me put them away?"
Keith tried not to laugh, but had to turn his head and regain his composure before answering her. Of course, it didn't help that I was sitting behind her, clasping my hands together, mouthing "Oh, Daddy! Help me, Daddy!" I can't remember what was out of sorts. Keith went into her room and helped her with it, whatever it was.
The point is, I can't decide if we've created a monster or a miracle? This is not the first time it's caused trouble. Her messy room has kept us from going to the mailbox, the grocery store and countless other places until it was clean. (Of course, I just go to the mailbox alone now that she's older, and she finally understands that she can clean up when she gets home.) She's just always been that way.
I hope she keeps it up (but learns to balance it). I mean, really- wouldn't it be nice to have a teenager who insists that her room be tidy before going to a friend's house after school? Or would it be a nightmare to have a teenager who is late to school every morning because she insisted that she get all of her laundry put away before heading to the bus stop? Hmmm. I'm not quite sure what I'm in for, but I'm happy to be on the ride!
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