It’s back…
Have your kids ever suffered from it? The Undone Syndrome? It’s hit my house again. We seem to experience it in cycles. Sometimes we’re able to go for quite awhile between attacks. And then it comes raging in like a storm. And it never just takes out one child. Not surprisingly, it’s a 3-fer deal. And, well, it’s hit like a storm. You know what I’m talking about, right? The syndrome where you work feverishly to keep some semblence of order in your home, only to turn around and find it “undone.” The syndrome where you walk from one end of the living room to the other picking up and straightening, and turn to find it a complete mess again? Yeah – that one.
My kids know (generally) that the rule is to put away what you take out. But periodically it seems to get stuck between the synapse and the nerve ending that takes the thought to the part of the brain which then helps them make a decision. The choice to remember the rule, and the decision to obey it are, apparently, taking place in two different areas of the brain. (don’t quote that as scientific fact to anyone! I’m deducing based on experience).
(sigh) It would appear it’s time for a recap…do you recap in your household? That’s where you review the household rules and refresh their memories on what, exactly, that might mean? We call it a recap. And, of course, my oldest delights in the “hypotheticals” during a recap session. “So what you’re saying is, pretend I left the crayon box on the shelf, and took out only one crayon, and Chloe took the whole box off the shelf, then she would be responsible for putting it back, right?? Or, say, Chloe and I decided to share a cup of milk. If I drank half, but she was the last one to take a drink from it, then she would be responsible for putting it in the dishwasher, right??” It makes my brain hurt navigating through her circuitous reasoning…Oy! LOL
Well, I’m hoping we’re on the downward end of this episode. And prayerfully, we won’t have to experience it again for awhile. God loves this mom too much to let her go crazy, right???
