Home > Fatherhood > Archives > 2008 > July > 31 > Entry
Cleaning up messes, as long as they’re liquid
Sam hates a mess. I should categorize that by saying he hates a liquid mess. He’s perfectly content to have toys strewn all over our living room.
But spill liquid and the boy turns into a dedicated cleaner.
Last night we had spaghetti for supper, Sam did pretty well with his little fork in getting the food off the plate and to his mouth. But some spaghetti sauce dripped on his shirt and the floor in the process.
I went to the kitchen for a paper towel to wipe up the mess. When I returned, Sam took the towel from me and wiped it up himself.
Later last night, Sam’s juice cup began leaking. Sippy cups are poorly constructed in that if one plastic piece gets dislodged inside the lid, the contents run out like a sieve. Again, Sam took the paper towel from me to wipe up the mess himself.
Lately, Sam is also big on carrying dishes into the kitchen after meals to place them on the counter. He even stops at the trash can to scrape off any food remnants. This morning, the last dribbles of milk fell out of my glass as Sam tried to put it on the counter.
I didn’t even think about wiping it up myself. I just handed Sam a paper towel and let him take after it. He did a very thorough job.
Now, if I could just get that enthusiasm to translate into putting toys back in the toy box…
Comments