The Candid Mom

Sophie likes to grab my phone and take pictures while I'm busy doing other things. Last night, after church but before dinner, she took this picture of me and Phoebe. I had no idea it was being taken. This photo illustrates a major part of my role as a mom.

We were all pitching in to get ready for dinner. Kids had (mostly) hung up their church clothes, done some light tidying, and were about to gather items for today's school lunch. Cooper had a headache and therefore a pass at helping, but Peter and Phoebe each had tasks. Peter was making the scrambled eggs for our breakfast-for-dinner while I prepared the oatmeal and the bacon. Phoebe was asked to thoroughly wipe off the table.

Now, you can only see the back of Phoebe's head in this picture. That means you can't tell how she felt about her job. Several phrases came out of her mouth such as, "This is impossible!" and "I can't do this!" and "I'm not perfect you know!" This is her regular approach to chores, so I wasn't overly phased. What I did do, and this drove her totally crazy, was ask her to keep coming back into the kitchen, after she believed she was done, until the job was completed to my satisfaction.

I understand that she's seven and hasn't mastered all the jobs we ask her to perform. I don't expect perfection, but I do expect effort. I also know that if we accept unfinished or sloppy work, then we're not teaching our kids how to do the best job they can. I wasn't unkind, but I was consistent. Granted, she thought I was being terrible for calling her back repeatedly. I walked around the table over and over with her to show her the spots that were still there. This picture shows me indicating something that wasn't all the way clean. She huffed and grumped and complained loudly, but she did the job. And each time a spot disappeared thanks to her effort, I pointed it out.

I wonder what she'll remember, the suffering of having to do chores? Or the satisfaction of getting the job done and doing it well?