Lessons Not Learned

Lessons Not Learned

These lessons seem to play out over and over again. When am I going to learn?

Since my knee is injured, I did not respond to the construction noises downstairs. Had I smelled smoke or heard screams, power tools, or heavy things falling, I would have hobbled down the stairs to investigate. However, I hoped it was just two young boys building, and to my knowledge I was correct. Later, however, I did respond to the giddy cries of “we're making a volcano!” that were coming from the kitchen. I snapped a few pictures, decided that they couldn't do much damage in the sink, and left the two boys to their own devices. I regrettably did not swipe the open container of food coloring that was sitting on the counter at elbow's reach. I can blame it on my knee, or the fact that I had to make an important phone call, or even the hope that all this time I've had ADD and not known it, but for whatever reason the bottle remained untouched. Until I heard “there's red food coloring all over the floor and I didn't do it!” The kitchen looked like a murder scene. There was, in fact, red food coloring all over the floor, and a little black dog was playing in it and licking it up. There were red paw prints all over the place. I had to get “the man upstairs” (my husband) to stop working and come to the rescue as I couldn't kneel down to wipe up the mess. I put the dog in what looked like a bloodbath, and before long everything was fine except for the permanently stained linoleum. At least the stains detract from the duct tape holding it together.

The boys have since been fed peanut butter bagels, told how many times I have previously told them not to play with the food coloring, and are now safely watching The Magic School Bus. I should use the term “safely” with a pinch of salt, as Ms. Frizzle and her Magic School Bus are partly responsible for all this volcano stuff in the first place.

I can't believe that people still want to send their kids over here, then again, it's not their kitchen floor...