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Oct. 4th, 2014 11:57 amLast night, Ananda put away all the clean towels. So, when I went to bed, there were stacks of clean towels on the recessed shelves in the kids' bathroom, which is where the only shower is. This morning I went to take a shower, and there's a puddle on the floor, and every towel all around the floor, bunched up. Many of them soaked. Like as though maybe the toilet overflowed? Or something? It's just me and 4 kids here since yesterday because Grant and Jake went on a joint birthday trip right after Jake finished up his school week.
Somehow neither Ananda, Aaron, Isaac or Elise seem to have ANY IDEA how this came to be. I was just wondering if water was welling up on the floor from the base of the toilet, because that's happened before, and it can indicate septic tank trouble. Also, everyone knows they're not in trouble if they have some accidental mess like a toilet overflowing or a spill - but that they do have to clean it up.
I made Aaron clean this up, because it was obviously him, because he was doing what he always does when he's lying. I think of it as "over bafflement."
Me, casually: Aaron, do you know why all those towels are on the floor in the bathroom?
Aaron: What???
Me: You heard me.
Aaron: *one eyebrow raised sky high like I'm speaking another language and have changed colors*
Me: *sigh* Do you know why all those towels are on the floor in the kids' bathroom?
Aaron: *totally dumbfounded expression* HUH?!
It's fucking ridiculous, and pretty funny in retrospect. The poor kid cannot lie to save his damn life. He mumbled something eventually about taking a very late shower and not realizing the curtain was open on one side.
Also ridiculous and hilarious even in the moment: last night, Ananda was telling Aaron all his clean clothes were out there ready to be put away, and he needed to go get them. Aaron was playing minecraft and didn't want to budge. I was in another room around a corner but on the same end of the house as them.
I suppose I should explain that I have a kind of laissez-faire "don't ask don't tell" policy about cursing; they know they're Not Allowed to cuss even though I do all the time and I don't really think it's bad, because you get in the habit, and because if they cuss around other adults, those other adults are liable to think they're bad kids, which I don't like. Now that they're in school, the school seems to feel about the same way I do - basically people in the halls or teachers go "language" in a stern tone when they hear someone cursing and it makes everyone giggle nervously and that's the end of it. None of my kids curses out loud around me on purpose, but I've eavesdropped and heard them curse in hushed tones and rolled my eyes and moved on. I've seen cursing galore on both sides of their facebook conversations and texting (they know the policy is they get to do those things but I get to snoop, it's not sneaking snooping) that seems like pretty normal dumb teenage stuff and they know I see it but nobody brings it up. Me or them, I mean. I can tell it's still way more personally taboo for my younger three children, probably because of friend groups and the younger kids' school being a lot more strict about it.
So anyway, last night Aaron didn't want to go get his laundry and put it away and she wanted to be done with her laundry chores (sorting a massive pile and sending it in appropriate directions, along with putting away her own and linens) so she was getting mad at him. She basically SCREAMED "Asshole!" at him, and I yelled, "absolutely not!" because *even I* (haha) don't curse AT people like that, and I've typically been way more serious about "mean" talking as the actual bad words, but they clearly didn't even hear me - Aaron was YELLING, "I don't want to go out there, Mom will see that I'm still in my uniform!" They're supposed to put them on the washer as soon as they get home and change into normal clothes.
I went in there, and I see them basically wrestling on the floor next to his tipped over computer chair that she clearly tried to drag him out of, both half laughing, and she's like, "quit being an asshole, just go!" and he's like, "Annie I can't, she'll see," and I said loudly from the doorway, "Do you guys not understand I'm home? Do you think my ears aren't working?" They both froze with this very brief "uh oh" look and then we all started laughing hysterically.
They're so ridiculous.
Aaaaaaaaaanyway. Sleeping in was great today, STILL feeling lingeringly ill several weeks into this is unacceptable, and I'm going to go confer with these fools about what sort of Saturday hijinks we ought to get up to.
Somehow neither Ananda, Aaron, Isaac or Elise seem to have ANY IDEA how this came to be. I was just wondering if water was welling up on the floor from the base of the toilet, because that's happened before, and it can indicate septic tank trouble. Also, everyone knows they're not in trouble if they have some accidental mess like a toilet overflowing or a spill - but that they do have to clean it up.
I made Aaron clean this up, because it was obviously him, because he was doing what he always does when he's lying. I think of it as "over bafflement."
Me, casually: Aaron, do you know why all those towels are on the floor in the bathroom?
Aaron: What???
Me: You heard me.
Aaron: *one eyebrow raised sky high like I'm speaking another language and have changed colors*
Me: *sigh* Do you know why all those towels are on the floor in the kids' bathroom?
Aaron: *totally dumbfounded expression* HUH?!
It's fucking ridiculous, and pretty funny in retrospect. The poor kid cannot lie to save his damn life. He mumbled something eventually about taking a very late shower and not realizing the curtain was open on one side.
Also ridiculous and hilarious even in the moment: last night, Ananda was telling Aaron all his clean clothes were out there ready to be put away, and he needed to go get them. Aaron was playing minecraft and didn't want to budge. I was in another room around a corner but on the same end of the house as them.
I suppose I should explain that I have a kind of laissez-faire "don't ask don't tell" policy about cursing; they know they're Not Allowed to cuss even though I do all the time and I don't really think it's bad, because you get in the habit, and because if they cuss around other adults, those other adults are liable to think they're bad kids, which I don't like. Now that they're in school, the school seems to feel about the same way I do - basically people in the halls or teachers go "language" in a stern tone when they hear someone cursing and it makes everyone giggle nervously and that's the end of it. None of my kids curses out loud around me on purpose, but I've eavesdropped and heard them curse in hushed tones and rolled my eyes and moved on. I've seen cursing galore on both sides of their facebook conversations and texting (they know the policy is they get to do those things but I get to snoop, it's not sneaking snooping) that seems like pretty normal dumb teenage stuff and they know I see it but nobody brings it up. Me or them, I mean. I can tell it's still way more personally taboo for my younger three children, probably because of friend groups and the younger kids' school being a lot more strict about it.
So anyway, last night Aaron didn't want to go get his laundry and put it away and she wanted to be done with her laundry chores (sorting a massive pile and sending it in appropriate directions, along with putting away her own and linens) so she was getting mad at him. She basically SCREAMED "Asshole!" at him, and I yelled, "absolutely not!" because *even I* (haha) don't curse AT people like that, and I've typically been way more serious about "mean" talking as the actual bad words, but they clearly didn't even hear me - Aaron was YELLING, "I don't want to go out there, Mom will see that I'm still in my uniform!" They're supposed to put them on the washer as soon as they get home and change into normal clothes.
I went in there, and I see them basically wrestling on the floor next to his tipped over computer chair that she clearly tried to drag him out of, both half laughing, and she's like, "quit being an asshole, just go!" and he's like, "Annie I can't, she'll see," and I said loudly from the doorway, "Do you guys not understand I'm home? Do you think my ears aren't working?" They both froze with this very brief "uh oh" look and then we all started laughing hysterically.
They're so ridiculous.
Aaaaaaaaaanyway. Sleeping in was great today, STILL feeling lingeringly ill several weeks into this is unacceptable, and I'm going to go confer with these fools about what sort of Saturday hijinks we ought to get up to.
