“I’m going to school tomorrow,” Master10 announced yesterday. He’d been home for two days with stabbing pains in the stomach which even had us at the hospital at one point. We still don’t know what the issue is for sure, but we’re leaning towards anxiety.
“You feeling better?” I asked.
“No.”
I put this remarkable ‘recovery’ down to a slight change in attitude of his parents. Day one was spent watching Netflix and playing games on an iPad. Day two on the other hand…
“So how are you feeling?” I asked him when he struggled out of bed.
“Okay,” he admitted.
But when I suggested he put his uniform on this okay quickly deteriorated to stomach clutching agony. For all involved.
“Here’s the deal then,” I told him. “You can stay home but there are no electronics. You won’t have time. You’re going to spend the day doing house work.”
You ever have those moments when you know you have nailed it? The washing had been sitting in our room for a week. Then I got sick of it and spent four hours separating it into the seven members of the family. Four hours and very, very little folding.
All that was needed now was for someone to empty each basket into the corresponding wardrobes. And preferably someone else.
I mean, I’d do it myself, but I had to go to work.
“If you’re staying home you have to put the washing away.”
Almost immediately he seemed to look a little better. He’s so naive.
“Okay,” he smiled.
So when I arrived home from work I was interested to see how things went. And over dinner I got the chance to ask. Instead of answering me directly, however, he looked at his mum.
“Do you do this every single day?” he asked Tracey. He looked a bit gobsmacked.
“Yep,” she lied. I know she’s lying because I’ve been doing the washing lately.
“Wow,” said Master10, and he paused to think about this. But if Tracey was expecting him to be awed at her effort she was in for a bit of a reality check. “Your life really sucks.”
Needless to say, he went to school today. Shame, because the toilet and shower need a good scrubbing.
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“Raising a family on little more than laughs.”
