As I played cards then dominoes with Mom, Christopher, Bryan, Uncle Lauren and Aunt Georgianne, the children ran around. Literally. They were upstairs and down and right under foot, but suddenly, mid card game, we didn't hear the children anymore. I got up and went downstairs to see what they were up to. They were in the back bedroom "playing house" they told me. Things seemed under control, so I left them with the warning, "Don't make a mess."
Two hands later, Griffin came upstairs and said, "Aunt Katherine, Blythe made a mess with paper." I thanked him for telling me and assured him that we would get it cleaned up before we left. At 5:06, when we were played out and everyone was getting hungry, I went back downstairs to see what sort of paper mess Blythe had made. It was significant. She had pulled out the bin in the paper shredder and scattered the contents all over the bedroom floor. It was everywhere. What a mess! I wanted to grab all four of those little people and spank them, but instead, I took a picture and then made them all pick up paper, even though the mess was Blythe's. I said, "You stood by and watched her make this mess, everyone knowing that Blythe shouldn't have done what she did. You needed to tell her no, but you didn't. So everyone gets to pick up tiny bits of paper." They were good about helping.
I helped clean up because I was partly responsible. I left the children to fend for themselves--which they were doing well and enjoying--and entertained myself playing cards. I shouldn't be at all surprised that they made a mess as part of their play. I did suggest that in future they try to help each other be obedient and chose the right, but considering that no one listens to me, I'm not expecting it to make much difference.
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