Really? Already? You're 4!

Not too long ago I found out what it was like to have your words used against you as a parent. My son is four! Here's the story as it happened.

Dad was taking both boys on a walk but Braxton was worried about how I'd feel being left behind. I didn't think he'd actually understand that I wanted some quiet time to clean the kitchen. As far as he is concerned "quiet time" is the worst part of his day. I hurried Braxton off to the corner of the sidewalk where Bryson was waiting atop Lee's shoulders. It took me saying, "Don't worry about me. I'll just be stuck here cleaning." He wanted no part in that so my plan worked. Quiet time finally came.

They were gone long enough for me to feel somewhat productive. Then they came back and I asked him to help pick up his toys before bed. He protested with the line, "I don't want to be stuck here cleaning." OH NO! I quickly backtracked and talked about all the joys of hard work. I made sure to throw in something about how good we feel inside when we use our hands for good. I know that I spent more time with that lecture than that one negative sentence. I thought we were all set. Basically I was expecting Braxton to jump up and take care of my requests more often. I also thought of how nice it would be when he showed some enthusiasm while working because it made him feel good inside. Nice work Rach. Now to get him in bed...

That part was the same as every other night. We took care of routines and started down the hall. There was one big problem... his room. We were technically still reorganizing it and so the whole thing was a little chaotic. We also had a busy day with plenty of errands. Most of his time here was spent playing so that I could get caught up. Now I have to be honest. Even though it would have been the right thing to do, I didn't want to tackle that project right then. I was too tired. My bed was calling my name. I just gave a hug and kiss before I headed out the door.

I left the room thinking that my bedtime wasn't far off. I sat on the couch talking with Lee when we both saw a little shadow turn the corner. Braxton came in to ask me to get out his train table. We purposefully have it under his bed because it saves a lot of space. I stated that it was 9:30 PM and his room was WAY too messy. I continued by saying that there just wasn't room to do that sort of activity tonight, maybe in the morning.

His words to me, "Mom working is good for us. We can do a lot with our hands and when we are done we will feel good inside. I think that we should clean right now."

My words to myself, "Oh brother."

That room did get clean and his trains did get played with. I am pretty sure we both felt good inside, at least we both were smiling. What a funny buddy!