What?!?!

Imagine my surprise when I spent the day at school with Tate last Tuesday for his special birthday celebration and all of a sudden the lights switched off and on, off and on, and 19 preschoolers jumped into action and began to pick up all the toys! Children crawling under tables, scooping up blocks, placing scissors and crayons back into the right buckets...it was mind boggling for a mother who cannot get her boy to even pick up his clutchie that is two feet away from him. But to my greater surprise, my boy was also part of the action earnestly picking up and putting away toys that he didn't even play with!!!

Well, as if that wasn't enough for this over-worked mom...at snack-time, the children waited calmly for all their other friends to be served before digging into their special Tate-birthday ice cream treat and upon finishing asked if they could be excused and then picked up all their cups, napkins and spoons and ceremoniously deposited them into the garbage can.

Preschoolers clearing the table!! Manners?? Damn, this school is teaching them something!

Now, Tate did all this at school, but won't do it at home. Barrington, we have a problem!

Today I looked at the house and was overwhelemed with the amount of toys strewn all over the living room, dining room and into the kitchen. I thought about preschool. And then with happiness in my voice, a sparkle in my eye, and energy in my body told Tate we were going to clean up. We tossed balls in the right bucket, ran to get the broom, squirted windex and with laughter and fun cleaned the house with no complaining, no whining and with full, excited cooperation.

My house is clean! Damn, I think this school is teaching ME something!

:: I'm condering posting everyday in the month of March. Just considering. This is no promise. We'll see what happens.