Four Wheels and Flies?

Q: What has four wheels and flies?

A: A garbage truck!

Bahahahaha!

Okay – I know you probably thought that one was hilarious when you were in elementary school. Once again, trash day is upon us, so M and I were trying to get everything together and out to the curb before I left for work this morning.

Sigh. It was painful.

Keeping in mind that I can only give him one direction at a time, I asked him to go to the pantry and get five or six plastic grocery bags from the supply we have stored in there. With the look he gave me, you would have thought I had asked him to go mine for diamonds, but he did it and came right back with the plastic bags.

So far, so good.

Then I had him start in my bedroom – take the trash can, remove the plastic bag of trash and tie it up, then put in a new plastic bag. That was a little more challenging . . . he wanted to hold the new plastic bag in his hands while he was manipulating the full-of-trash plastic bags, so we had to work on that, but he got it done.

The only problem cropped up when he went to his room, on his own, and took care of his trash can while I finished getting dressed. I asked him a couple of times if he had put a new bag in the trash can and he said yes, he had. But when I went in his room, there was NOT a new bag in the trash can.

It’s not a deal-breaker, but it makes it a lot easier. You would have been so proud of me, though. I just said, “why don’t we put a grocery bag in this one, too?” as though I had just thought of it. I didn’t say “Hey, looks like you forgot to put one in here!” which would have started our day on a sour note.

And we don’t need THAT!!

Yesterday was bloodmobile day, so M was ready to go when I got home. I found out later, after talking to both our sons, that he had been ready to go and anticipating the trip to the bloodmobile all day long. These routines and having something to look forward to are very important to him.

I just wish there was a way to offer him more of a routine and something fun to look forward to every day.