Freaky Friday
My son told me he didn't think I worked hard. He didn't think parents work as hard as kids. This was after I asked him to help load the dishwasher with his two siblings.
I thought it would be a fine idea to let him have a crack at it.
We ended up doing our little experiment on the last day of summer break. He didn't seem to foresee this as a problem. He would later.
Here is a list of events as they happened:
7:30 AM- He pours cereal for his brother and sister. His sister does not want that kind of cereal. It goes to waste on the table.
8:30 AM- I enjoy my lie in. I come stumbling out of my room, as grumpy as I can muster and tell my son I'm starving and ask if he will make me breakfast. I'm expecting him to tell me I can make my own bowl of cereal but he goes ahead and makes it for me. This is nice of him. I don't thank him.
8:32 AM- I tell him he didn't pour enough milk in my bowl. He sighs and grabs the milk and pours more into my bowl. He makes a second bowl for his sister.
8:35 AM- I tattle on my daughter for sitting on the table. My son sends her to her room. He appears worn out all ready.
8:45 AM- I leave my bowl, including some milk I (purposely) spill on the table. It doesn't seems to bother him. This bothers me.
8:46 AM- Here is where the real trouble starts. My son asks me for the Xbox password. He thinks he can spend the day playing video games. Not sure where he got the idea that that's what adults do. I inform him I'm a kid and don't know the password. This news flattens him.
It also comes as surprise to my other children. Apparently they had planned to spend the day playing video games. My daughter implores me to tell him the password. I remind her I'm a kid and don't know it. My son mutters, "This day is gonna suck" and runs outside, slamming the door behind him. Does he kiss his mother with that mouth?
8:59 AM- I follow my son outside who is still seething. I tell him I'm bored. He groans.
9:00 AM- I hear very clearly from behind me, "I don't want to do this anymore."
9:15 AM- I enjoy lounging on the couch as everyone watches TV. I remind my son again that I'm bored. He tries to ignore me. I say it again. My other children ask him what they are going to do that day. "This is the last day of summer!" They remind him. "I can't take you anywhere!" He shouts back at them. Everyone is in a foul mood.
9:25 AM- My daughter climbs all over me and I tell my son she is hurting me and won't get off. My son sends her to her room. My daughter cries in her room.
9:26 AM- My other son, the non-parent one, begs for the Xbox password. I tell him once again, I'm a kid and don't know it. He starts to cry. I complain about being bored again. I let my son know, "This is the worst summer ever!'
9:34 AM- I complain that I haven't had a turn to pick a show on the TV. My son sighs and tells me to wait for his brother's show to end. I groan real loud. "That is so unfair! He's had a longer time than I ever get." My son looks at me like he doesn't know if I'm joking or not.
9:50 AM- I pick a TV show, trying to find the most annoying one I can think of. It starts. My sons leave the room.
9:52 AM- My son, the "parent" hides himself in my room, lying on my bed and using my TV. I overhear his brother say to him:
"This is the last day of summer and we can't do anything!"
"I know."
10:00 AM- My daughter, still crying, interrupts her brother to ask if she can get out of her room. He waves her away, "Sure, whatever." My daughter rushes to me, "Shane is being mean to me." I tell her, "Go tell him." She cries some more. "This is the worst summer ever!"
10:10AM- I play dolls with my daughter since we're now "sisters".
10:15 AM- I stop playing. "This is boring." and I leave her to play by herself. She gets mad at me so I tell her to go talk to "mom" about it. I read a book. A mutiny is forming.
"We are wasting the last day of summer!'
10:30 AM- I find my son to complain to him that I'm hungry. He tells me I can have a banana. I whine real loud about how much I hate bananas (I don't) and he appears annoyed by all the whining.
10:34 AM- I think of all the things that aren't getting done. I'm not really enjoying this anymore either.
10:40 AM- My daughter once again pleads with me to be her mother again. I tell her to take her problems to Shane. She does and he tells her he wishes he wasn't the parent either.
11:00 AM- A neighbor kid comes over to play and my son has to tell him he can't play today because he has to be the mom. "This is the worst day ever!" He cries after he shuts the door on his friend.
11:05 AM- I find my son again and remind him that I'm bored and there's nothing to do. He is certainly annoyed with me by now:
"Go outside."
"It's too hot!" I reply.
"Go color."
"I don't want to!" I shoot back.
"You are in charge of your own fun."
Well done, Shane. Looks like he's absorbed some of my parenting. It's a little victory for him because I leave him alone for a little bit.
11:10 AM- I color with my daughter. I leave the markers all over the table after I'm done.
11:15 AM- My son tries one more time to get the Xbox password from me. He doesn't get it.
11:20 AM- I take a nap.
11:45 AM- My daughter and son are weeping for things to return to normal. I have to agree, this isn't fun anymore. The list of things I gave my son to do that day is going undone.
11:58 AM- My son, Shane, comes to me to let me know he has learned his lesson. Being a parent is harder than he thought. He see's now how much work I do. I point out he hasn't done much work. "Please just let me be a kid again."
12:00 PM- The experiment is over.
Here is the good sport.
I took him swimming for the last day of summer after he did his chores.
All is right with the world again.