Here on the blog, I have a tendency to note kid related events that range from humorous to missteps. It’s easy to overlook the fact that a good part of the time, the kids are, actually, pretty well behaved. It’s even easier to overlook the simple task of giving credit where it’s due.
With that in mind, allow me to relate a bit about the boy’s weekend, noteworthy mainly for its lack of noteworthiness. It doesn’t make for the greatest blogging material, per say, but I’d like to give him credit for his good behavior.
His weekend started out helping me. We have a rental property and the new tenants will be moving in at the end of the week. The previous tenant had actually left the place in a decent state, but it needed to be gone through and spiffed up a bit for the new tenants. So, while the Wife and the lass went to a craft fair, the boy chose to tag along with me to help with the cleaning.
To my surprise, he dove in and worked hard. He helped clean windows, taking care of the windows in one bedroom while I took care of the windows in the other. He helped clean the bathroom as well- wiping down the counters and the sink (I got toilet duty). While I did the vacuuming, he busied himself with cleaning some spots off the walls. He also helped me clean out the fridge and clean the kitchen counters. Lastly, he helped me move the stove into the basement and also helped patch and paint holes in the walls from picture hangers.
The other thing I’ll note is the lack of complaining the whole time. We were there for the better part of 3 hours accomplishing all this. During that time, he made one comment about “Not liking being there.” I could hardly blame him, I wasn’t thrilled myself. But it’s a life lesson- things need to be done, whether you like it or not. Best to get them done quickly and quietly. Also, when he’d reached his fill point for helping, he was able to amuse himself by alternately reading a book he’d brought along and playing with a “bouncy” ball he found while cleaning. In other words, when he wasn’t helping he did not descend into nuisance territory.
After the morning of cleaning, the kids had to tag along while the Wife shopped a bit and I was fitted for a suit. While the lass had a tough go of it, the boy managed to avoid trouble with us, number one, and further antagonizing his sister, number two. It’s usually a special treat to prod a sibling when they’re having a rough day and his restraint was unusual, but appreciated and noticed by both the Wife and I.
Sunday ended up being another day of cleaning for him. This time it was his room and the house as he and the lass helped Mom do a little Spring cleaning. Afterwards, he played outside for awhile (without incident) and got some Wii and DS time. His weekend ended with a viewing of Up and an ice cream sundae.
Thinking back on the weekend, I’d say the boy needs to be careful. If this sort of behavior becomes to common, the Wife and I could get spoiled by it real quick. Either way, he had a good weekend.
And interestingly enough, so did the Wife and I.