Yesterday my oldest wanted to help with the laundry. He wanted to wash a load of laundry. Yes, my son wanted to do work. Not just work but laundry. I should have seen this as an omen of impending doom. However, I was blindsided by the idea of clean towels.
Down to the basement, into the laundry room we went. He had the towels loaded into the washer & I showed him how to measure out the soap & start the load. We discussed how the washer works & that it would beep when the load was done.
About 20 minutes later, 20 minutes too soon for a large load of towels on the cycle it was set to fully be complete, I heard “Mom, it’s done! It’s weird I didn’t hear it beep.”
My response “What??” I was starting dinner, cleaning the kitchen & trying to vacuum up a sea of crumbs someone managed to track on the living room rug. Of course I was doing this ALL.AT.THE.SAME.TIME. Because I’m a Mom that’s what we DO! And the sound of my son saying “I didn’t hear it beep.” stopped me dead in my tracks. Chills ran down my spine. If he didn’t hear it beep & it had been only 20 minutes that meant…
I jolted to the stairs. Hoping that maybe I was wrong. Maybe I lost track of time. Maybe there was hope. No, sadly I did not lose track of time. All hope was lost. I mean really the lack of any beep cemented that there was no loss of time.
My son greeted me on the stairs. “It’s really weird Mom when I opened it water went everywhere. I mean it’s everywhere.”
And my heart sunk. Down the stairs I went. Dead woman walking. Knowing that a mess greeted me around the corner.
Yes, he was right. Water went EVERYWHERE! Turns out the load was NOT done as I already knew. Someone stopped it, someone else then decided it was a good idea to open the door HALF WAY through. Someone is lucky that I love them very much, very, very much.
I walked around the corner to see a small flood & to hear behind “Wow, that’s a big mess.” Really, Ya Think???
Remind me again that if a child of mine wants to help with laundry some disaster akin to the great flood of biblical proportions may greet me at the end of the journey.
{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
That’s funny in a “you just have to laugh about it or you’ll cry” kind of way. First time to your blog so I don’t know how old your children are, but they actually do become helpful human beings in the tween/teen years. Although by then, they are too self-focussed to want to help!
It was a laugh or cry moment, funny in a “OH MY GOODNESS WHAT THE HECK HAPPENED?!” kinda way.
lol…I’m guessing it’s a front-loader. I still have a top loader but my washer leaks from the bottom when the boys overfill the load. Did he help clean it up?
Yes, Michelle it’s a front-loader. The overfill isn’t so much an issue for us as opening it before it’s done or the whole constant up keep to make sure mold isn’t forming on the inner gasket. I have a love/hate relationship with my front-loader.
Popped over from SITS!
LOVE your site — love that it has laundry as most recent, followed by cocktail recipe. (Were we separated at birth {and about 10 years}?)
I met my husband on the first weekend of the first year of college when I was 18. I’ve got four babies also, and although I’m not a PhD, my grad school was, ahem, derailed by a baby!
I’m looking forward to reading more from you!
Cheers –
Thanks for popping over
Hoping to see you more! Especially since we have SO much in common.
And trust me you aren’t missing much by not being a PhD, it’s over-rated.
I’m about to bawl just reading this! That is so how it goes, an important lesson I’m sure (we all hope) he’ll never have to learn again, I hope you let him help clean up at least part of it. I know the thing that drives me batty fastest is having little fingers “knowing” what their doing, and not following directions. Blessings to you and I look forward to reading the rest of your blog.
I hope he never learns it again, I think the other 2 “big” kids also won’t be trying that. He DID help to clean up, without me even asking, & was I think he was as shocked as I was.
LOL – what’s that thing they always say about good intentions? Hmm.
Your son has had a memorable first contact with the laundry. I’m not sure he will do laundry soon