She said, He Said

Lil' Miss and Baby Dude are still young enough to think cleaning the house is fun. Not as fun as making a decent mess, but still a good time. When I'm vacuuming, they follow me around with their popping push-toys and little lawnmower. When I'm wiping countertops, they grab their own rag to "redo" my work. When I finish cleaning the glass patio door, they're right behind me, scrubbing it with a soapy sponge. Very helpful, indeed.

Of course, this optimistic view of housework does not apply to cleaning up their own rooms... by themselves. If I'm not there, singing the "Clean-up, Clean-up" song and putting away toys right alongside them, they want no part in it. It's probably because they just can't stand being away from me... Yeah, right! More like misery loves company.

Yesterday, I told Lil' Miss she had to put her toys away in her room, a chore that involves picking up her princesses and putting them in baskets underneath her bed. Simple enough for a bright, able-bodied four-year-old. Or so you'd think. I might as well have told her to paint the ceiling or build a bookshelf by her response. She was a wreck, rolling around on the carpet, sobbing and moaning. "Moooooommmm! I caaaaannnn't! It's tooooooo haaaaarrrrrd!" Think Pat from Saturday Night Live.

me: Honey, you can do this! You're a big girl and you're a lot tougher than you think.

her: No, I'm nooooot! I caaaaannnn't dooooooo iiiiiiiiit!

me: Yes, you caaaaaaan! (This did not go over very well.)

her: I CAAAAAANNNN'T!

me: Wait. I have an idea. Why don't you pray and ask God to help you do this. He's always with you and you can talk to him about how hard it is. I bet He'll help you.

her: Alright...

With shoulders hunched and head bowed, she slowly shuffled to her room and returned a few minutes later.

her: Mom, I prayed.

me: You did? How'd it go?

her: Good. God said He was going to help me.

me: That's so great! Why don't you go ahead then and get started cleaning your room.

her: No, Mom. God said He can do it all by Hisself.