Early Morning Encounters

In the past we have spent very few waking hours at home, we were always on the go.  Choosing to homeschool this year has given us a little more freedom, so for the first time my eleven year old has a consistent chore.  Each afternoon he is responsible for washing both his and his brothers lunch containers.  He has forgotten on a few occasions, but generally when I walk into the kitchen in the morning, the containers are ready for me to pack for the day.

When I awoke Monday morning the containers were not washed properly, a film of oil clung to the lid, and food particles to the wall of the basin.  This happened again on yesterday and today.  I was not upset, but I was annoyed that I would have to wash the containers myself. 

In the past I have contemplated waking my oldest for failing to properly complete the task, but I could not will myself to do so.   My mother would awaken me in the middle of the night or early in the morning screaming and fussing about my shortcomings and her failure as a parent to due to my leaving a pan on the stove overnight.  

As I lifted the lid to wash it, I decided that I would wake my son at 5:15 AM to rewash the lunch containers.  If I never pointed out his errors, they would continue.  I gently roused him from bed explaining why.  I silenced his apologies and informed him that I was not upset, but that I needed to ensure that he knows how to properly carry out the task.   We washed the containers together, and he returned to  bed less than 15 minutes later.  

My only regret about the entire e counter, is that I failed to hug my son and to remind him that I loved him before he returned to bed.