The Waiting Game

I was commiserating with my friend the other day about our children and their unique talent for leaving their crap laying all over the place, blissfully clueless that it's driving us absolutely nuts because it will lay there for DAYS as they walk by it, step over it and basically ignore it like it doesn't even exist.

And it lays there until we pick it up.

The conversation started out because my friend said that "someone" left a bag of chips (empty of course) laying around her house.  She said that she was just waiting to see how long it was before someone in her awesome family owned up to it and cleaned it up.

I suspect she's still waiting.

For them to pick it up and for hell to freeze over.  ;)

Now, I'm no novice at this game.  I've played it before.  Many times. 

But my latest battle involves Shane and his backpack.  FROM LAST SCHOOL YEAR.

It's been sitting in the living room since June 17th, 2011 when he got out of school.  Right where he left it.

That's right.  Almost three full months I've been in a non-verbal battle with him to see if he'll clean it out.

But nope.  Nothing.  And I know that he has to see it because he has to walk past it every single time he goes up and down the steps.  And that's at least twice a day.  For three months.

I had begun to think that he just forgot about it.

I came home the other day (right after my conversation with my friend about her children's inability to pick up their stuff) and he had gone through it for something. 

AND LEFT EVERYTHING LAYING ON THE FLOOR RIGHT BESIDE THE DAMN BACKPACK.

So.  He just confirmed for me that he knew the backpack was there.  He was just doing a stellar job of ignoring it. 

:mad:

Seizing my opportunity, I told him that he needed to clean it out.  He said he would.  I asked him this morning if he cleaned it out before he went to school.

He said yes.

He didn't.  Surprise.

My children drive me nuts.

I guess he figures that the maid will pick it up.

So I scooped the papers back up, shoved them back into the backpack and then proceeded to stew and huff about it for the next 30 minutes.

Ugh.  So I wonder if my friend ended up picking up the chip bag or not.  I'm betting so.

Cause she's not as stubborn as me. 

Apparently I like fighting battles with people that don't even know, or care, that I'm fighting them.

I haven't decided how I'm going to handle this one.  Do I leave it there and just see how much longer it goes before he decides to actually clean it out and put his school things from last year away or do I make him clean it up?

What's the over/under on how long it will sit there until I make him clean it up?

Kids.  Ugh.

This blog post is dedicated to my friend and all of the other moms and dads out there who are fighting this same "awesome" battle.