The Moral of the Story

We have 1:00 church, which I know most people do not like, but I quite do.  We had a leisurely morning getting ready, but at about 12:20 I looked around at every single room of the house and felt my blood start to boil.  Every room was in complete disarray.  The children had played all day and night on Saturday and Sunday is a day to be lazy to rest.

I lost it.  I threw a mommy temper tantrum.  I am assume you know what that is, but just in case-- A mommy temper tantrum is when you get really mad at your children for not doing something that you have never properly taught them to do.  This morning my temper tantrum went something like this:

"I am getting so sick of you people leaving your junk everywhere!  No one except Dad and I make any effort keep this house clean!  You see a mess and you just leave it because you assume that surely Dad or I will pick it up for you!  Did you ever wonder how things get picked up if you don't do it?  WELL NOT ANYMORE!!!  This is a NO FRIENDS week and ALL we are going to do this week is learn to take care of our house!  We're just going to clean for 6 days straight!  So help me, you WILL learn to pick up after yourselves!!!"

You get the idea.

Don't you wish you had me for a mom?

I know, I horrify myself.

But anyway, here's the real kicker.  Five minutes after my tantrum I get a call from a good friend in my ward.  She has nine children-- 3 of them are married and on their own and 6 are still at home.  This friend called to ask about my cleaning and jobs system with my children.   Because her children were telling her that the Fox children don't have to do Saturday chores, because they do their chores during the week.  I'm so flattered that she would ask my advice--
HA HA HA!  If she only knew!  She should know.

So I told her.  "Listen, dear friend.  I am not the one to talk to.  I just went off on my poor innocent offspring on a Sabbath morning 40 minutes before church-- and a Fast Sunday no less.  Actually, they are not entirely innocent, but it really was neither the time nor the place.  We do have a very simple system of daily cleaning jobs that only rotates quarterly, but I am under-utilizing my children and I still do far to much of the household work.  And there are parts of my house that I'm sure would qualify as "squalor".   I should be calling you for advice on how to implement effective Saturday chores!"

The moral of this story is never look at your neighbor and think, "Man, she's got it all figured out."

She doesn't.

And NEVER believe your children when they tell how wonderful so-and-so's mother is because she does this or that.

She doesn't.