Spontaneous chore completion
Caleb is currently between schools. As part of covering child care I took last week off and spent it with Caleb. This included things like going to the aquarium, the zoo and other adventures.
Most mornings I tried to get up to make sure Whuffle went off to work with breakfast. Thursday morning however I was too tired and stayed in bed. Caleb has taken to climbing into bed with us in the morning for some snuggling. After Whuffle had left for work Caleb started saying he wanted to go downstairs. I told him we would do so as soon as he went to the bathroom and washed his hands. He grumbled and reached for my hand, specifically requesting the one that was, due to my position, uncomfortable to hand him.
After a few more minutes I rolled over. He climbed over me and demanded the other hand.
"Daddy," he said, "Can we go downstairs now?"
"As soon as you go to the bathroom."
He sighed heavily and said "Ohhhh. OK." He got out of bed and went to the bathroom. After a few minutes he called out "Daddy! The toilet paper is almost gone so I put a new big roll on the holder. Is that OK?"
I blinked a moment, quite sure I was imagining things. I called out, "You changed the toilet paper roll?"
"Yes."
I let this sink in for a moment and said "Thank you. Good job. Let me know when you're done washing hands so we can go downstairs."
"O. K. Daddy!"
That night I told Liz about what had happened. I started with, "Today Caleb did something you've been bugging me to do ever since we met."
"He changed the toilet paper roll?" she said excitedly.
"Yes he did" I replied. Initially I was annoyed at the speed and accuracy of her reply. Then I realized it was probably a GOOD thing her mental list of things I wasn't doing was so short she could come up with an answer so quickly.
Most mornings I tried to get up to make sure Whuffle went off to work with breakfast. Thursday morning however I was too tired and stayed in bed. Caleb has taken to climbing into bed with us in the morning for some snuggling. After Whuffle had left for work Caleb started saying he wanted to go downstairs. I told him we would do so as soon as he went to the bathroom and washed his hands. He grumbled and reached for my hand, specifically requesting the one that was, due to my position, uncomfortable to hand him.
After a few more minutes I rolled over. He climbed over me and demanded the other hand.
"Daddy," he said, "Can we go downstairs now?"
"As soon as you go to the bathroom."
He sighed heavily and said "Ohhhh. OK." He got out of bed and went to the bathroom. After a few minutes he called out "Daddy! The toilet paper is almost gone so I put a new big roll on the holder. Is that OK?"
I blinked a moment, quite sure I was imagining things. I called out, "You changed the toilet paper roll?"
"Yes."
I let this sink in for a moment and said "Thank you. Good job. Let me know when you're done washing hands so we can go downstairs."
"O. K. Daddy!"
That night I told Liz about what had happened. I started with, "Today Caleb did something you've been bugging me to do ever since we met."
"He changed the toilet paper roll?" she said excitedly.
"Yes he did" I replied. Initially I was annoyed at the speed and accuracy of her reply. Then I realized it was probably a GOOD thing her mental list of things I wasn't doing was so short she could come up with an answer so quickly.