Mom's Helper

After a truly awful past few days with Michael I think we may have had a tiny bit of a breakthrough. Michael and I have a hard time getting along at times. There is something about his personality and my personality that just clash. We both like to be in charge and that doesn't work so well, one of us has to take a back seat. Add to it the amount of energy that kid has and the fact that I have been tired for 3.5 years trying to keep up with him and well... we don't always get along. So this week has been rough, whoever thought up daylight savings... hates me. As if he didn't wake up early enough now we have daylight savings to contend with. So we had that, and let me just say by 3pm today I was pretty much ready to smack a wall. But then something clicked and Michael improved (well around 430). I was making dinner, rushing to get us all fed before soccer and then mercifully it started raining and soccer was cancelled. While I was rushing to make dinner, clean up dinner, and keep zach from hopping the baby gate (I love that you think that's a joke), Michael asked if he could help me. I thought he was asking to "help" but it turns out he was sincere. He wanted to load the dishwasher, we couldn't do that since in my rush I had already done it by I promised that we could after dinner. I went outside to get dinner off the grill and he asked if he could help, I replied no (because of the fire associated with a grill) and asked him why he wanted to help. He replied "because I have to help my girl out". Melt my heart little buddy. So in the wise words of Mr. Slinger from Kevin Henkes "Lily's Purple Plastic Purse" (really you should read it) "Today was a difficult day, tomorrow will be better".

He ended up helping load the dishwasher after dinner, and then helping to sweep, move the chairs, and pick up the living room. I asked him where he learned to clean assuming it was something they did at preschool and he said at home. He was so proud of himself for helping, and me, well I was humbled and grateful.