Secret summer experiment

We're trying something new this summer. My girls are given daily household responsibilities and then are paid at the end of the week for how much they completed. These are things that need done around the house that are not related to their rooms or personal items, but for the whole family. So far it's working fairly well and I'm pleased that my girls actually look at the list each morning and fulfill their daily duties. I would like to think it's because they want to help their mother and learn the value of hard work, but my gut tells me they just want the cash.

Anyway, with this new summer experiment, I've certainly had to lower my standards on how I like things done in the house. For instance, I like the bath towels folded a certain way, a tri-fold method with all sides lined up and not inside out with the tag showing. They stack better that way and fit properly in the linen closet. However, my kids folding techniques are more of a wham bam, flip this way and that, and you're done. When I open the linen closet at night to get a towel, the poor things look like they were balled up and shoved all together, some with their corners all out and others flopped all open willy nilly style. It's hard for me to look at, really.

Another example is the dishwasher. I have to admit, I'm quite the Martha Stewart of dishwasher loading and my desire to efficiently load every dish and utensil borders on insanity. That household responsibility is one of THE hardest for me to go of. When I open it up and see how my girls have loaded it at the end of the day, it's literally stings my eyes. There are dishes stuck aimlessly about in no certain order or pattern. All 50 pieces of the silverware are jammed into two out of the five utensil slots with the other three spots totally empty. The plastic ware is on the bottom where it might melt. There are plates all askew and for crying out loud, some bowls are actually resting on top of other dishes, not touching any part of the dishwasher rack. You know something ain't gonna be gettin' clean that way!

Well, I've decided that as much as I love the fact that my girls are helping out and it's one less thing off my to-do list, I still cannot, in no way no how, let some of those things rest. It goes against the way God made me and I'll lose sleep thinking about those jacked up towels in the closet and that silverware all bunched together so tight you can't pull a fork out. So, instead of giving them lesson #16 on how to fold towels or load dishes, I have a secret. I wait until they go to bed or aren't anywhere in a 5 mile radius, and I REDO it all.

I know it sound psychotic, but when they're dreaming away, I'm reloading the dishwasher. The feeling I get knowing I was able to fill it rather resourcefully, seeing all the plates lined up according to size and all the plastics safely on the top rack, is like an artist finishing a painting. Total satisfaction! The same is true with the towels. Seeing the towels resemble a pattern of uniformity with all of them grouped by size and color is like walking into a Pottery Barn store. It gives me a sense of peace, as sick as that sounds.

There are some responsibilities I've given them that I've surrendered control over and just deal with it, even though it's far different than I would have done it, but there's just those few that push my buttons and my inner being just refuses to let them go. Therefore, since the experiment is working and working well, I'll just keep dishing out the responsibilities and when no one's looking I'll go back and tweek a few of them. It'll be my secret.