Thursday 3 May 2007

Toilet Paper Rolls and Do Overs


I am not sure why but my kids have something against toilet paper rolls. It never fails that when I go into their bathroom the toilet paper is never on the holder. They have rolls of toilet paper on the back of the toilet, on the counter or sometimes on the floor beside the toilet but never on the holder. It is one of those things that drives me nuts. It doesn't matter how many times I tell them. Or how many times I put the toilet paper on the holder to show them. Their rolls of toilet paper never seem to make it to the proper place.

A few days ago I was having a "moment". Maybe it was because I have been sick with a cough that I can't shake (I am cranky) or maybe it was just the straw that broke the camels back but my eldest son was receiving the brunt. He stood there looking at me while I went into a full blown lecture about the toilet paper rolls. The look in his eyes began to change and I could start to see worry. I knew what he was thinking,"Oh no I think Mom is loosing it." He was right, I was loosing it and I was on a roll. I was just getting to the part in my rant where there was no way that he would ever be able to grow up to be a successful human being if he could not remember to put the toilet paper on the holder when I stopped in mid sentence. "What were you doing?" I asked him. "Uhh, I was just writing in my agenda." He stammered. "What were you writing?" "I was writing a reminder in my calender on the date of your birthday because I didn't want to forget and I forget lots of stuff." Sure enough, I could see that he had indeed been writing about my birthday in his agenda.

Well, you can guess what happened next. My rant about learning the importance of toilet paper roll etiquette to be successful seemed not only unimportant but all I could think of was Ephesians 6:4. "Fathers, do not exasperate your children, instead bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord." At this particular moment I was not doing such a bang up job. "Listen buddy, sorry about yelling at you. I was having a bad moment. Do you think we could start again?" "My friends and I call that a do over." he said. "I need to use it alot when we are playing grounders." "Well, could I use a do over?" I asked. "Sure." he said.

I love my kids.

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