Scrub, sniff, scrub, sniff….

Scrub, scrub, scrub….this is what I hear as I sit and watch two little girls, heads hanging so low it’s a wonder they can manage the toothbrushes they wield.  The crayon and ink stains are holding fast to the wood grain and the little girls are in tears again.  I pull out my own rag, wet and ready to scrub alongside them.  I want the job done but I also want a lesson learned.  I want little girls who understand that what they did, painting the walls of the dollhouse in permanent ink and crayon, was not such a great idea.

My goal is to instill a sense of respect for property.  I also want them to get that it’s about self-esteem.  Because when you know who you are you can stand up for your values, say no to peer pressure.  I’m tired of this particular lesson.  I think I’ve told stories about my kids and their friend’s influence before, yeah, we’re back to that.  I know that this is a lesson we’ll be learning for a lifetime.  I’m hoping that the stains on dollhouse walls that we wash off with cloths and toothbrushes are the deepest stains we ever have to wash.

Scrub, sniff, scrub, sniff….that’s why I sit here watching two little girls crying and washing and every once in awhile they stop their crying long enough to notice their progress.  Because there is progress.  I can see where they are getting through the crayon stains, where the ink is not quite so garish.  I can almost glimpse the knowledge of their wrongdoing.  My daughter whispers, “I’m sorry.”  I hope she really is sorry for what she did and not just for what I made her do.

I love that little pixie face that came from my womb so innocent.  I love that she makes friends so easily and without any inhibition whatsoever.  I know she didn’t get that from me.  I need her to learn so many things before the hard lessons start piling on, before the hard knocks and real hurts of life find her tender little heart.  For now, I have her scrubbing a dollhouse and yeah, I’m the kind of mom that makes the neighbor girl do it too.  The more the merrier.  Maybe next time they will think twice, three times before messing with this mean mom.