Out on a Limb

Since I try my hardest to maintain my "meanest mom ever" status, I often randomly come up with chores for the PBA which I could easily do myself: but instead, since I am clearly lazy, I unload these jobs onto my children.

At least that's how the PBA receive it.

It may or may not be true. Don't judge.

As an aside, I submit for your perusal, a list which includes, but is not limited to, the chores which the PBA do at least on an irregular basis:

• Empty dishwasher (we're still working on this one)
• Load the dishwasher
• Set the table
• Get vitamins for everyone (this is not as simple as you think...we kind of take a lot of vitamins)
• Clear dishes from their meals and wipe the counter and/or table
• Help bring in groceries or other bags from the store
• Bring in the mail and/or newspaper
• Collect the trash from around the house and take it to the garage and/or the curb as the day dictates
• Bring in the trashcans after the garbage men have collected the trash
• Clean their bathroom and the guest bathroom
• Vacuum and dust their rooms
• Make their own breakfasts and lunches
• Start laundry in washer/transfer laundry to dryer/remove clothes from dryer (we're still working on this one)
• Strip their beds and putting clean sheets on the beds
• Collect dirty bath and hand towels from around the house and get out clean ones
• Shovel the droveway
• Mow the grass
• Pull weeds
• Rake leaves
• Clean up dog poo
• Walk the dog
• Feed the dog
• Take the dog out as he has need
• Keep their rooms somewhat picked up

One last thing which is not listed above, is folding laundry. Often, if they are parked in front of the tv (which, of course, RARELY happens...I am SO on top of this media monitoring, as any good mama is...), and if there is laundry sitting in the living room (which, I won't even try to lie here...there is almost ALWAYS a basket of clean laundry sitting in the living room), it is their chore to fold it and put it away.

See what I mean? How can I possibly live with myself? Aren't there child labor laws to protect these boys?!?

So...all this being said, what with them working their fingers to the bone, day and night, I know sometimes they are beyond fatigued and with crossed eyes, they attempt to sort and fold laundry.

Of course, knowing how hard they work and how little they are compensated (room, board and basically everything they need and some of what they want...hardly seems fair, does it?), how could I complain about the quality of work?

How could I insinuate shoddy workmanship on any level?

Well, here's how:

I am going to go WAY out on a limb and at the risk of looking foolish, make an assumption: I THINK the PBA POSSIBLY helped fold socks recently.

And in case you were wondering, these two socks do not match. They aren't even for the same person...one is mine and the other one belongs to the 10yo. And the one for the 10yo has a gaping hole in the heel.

Apparently I should add "(we're still working on this one)" to folding laundry as well...

Follow me on Facebook!