Excuses

Upon returning home from our grocery store run, I employed the lass in helping to unload the car and put some things away. Her “taking things out of the car” consisted of her taking the bag of cold cuts and cheese in the house. She went the extra mile and opened the rear door of the car for me. Something she was quick to note to get credit for.

After everything was inside, I handed her the bag of potatoes and asked her to put it in the pantry. In the meantime, I staged the milk in front of the basement door so she could put it in the fridge downstairs.

When she finished wrestling with the potatoes, I asked her to put the milk away. Putting the milk away is something I always make them do. Upon completing my request, she immediately slouched forward, both arms going limp. As she did this, she tilted her head back. This is the come-on-how-much-do-I-have-to-do-around-here pose. She then replied:

“Dad, I can’t put the milk away ’cause my arms have no strength left after putting away the ‘tatoes.”

She did, eventually, put the milk away. I’m just surprised she isn’t taking a nap to recover from the effort required. What with trudging up and down the steps with a gallon of milk (well, down the steps with the milk) after having lost all strength from dealing with potatoes, I can’t imagine how she soldiers on…