Thanks For Your Help!

I love that my three year old is so "helpful". I have found that at this particular age, "helping" Mommy usually means more work for Mommy, but I'm also finding that I enjoy it because there is so much humor in the way his mind works.

This morning found me sitting (as much as is possible at 38 and 1/2 weeks pregnant) on the floor in front of the toilet cleaning. All at once, the silence was broken by Sean tearing into the bathroom behind me yelling "Mommy! Mommy! MOMMY, I DID IT! I did da bubbles!" My first thought was bubbles? What bubbles? Oh, right. BUBBLES. Got it; on his Leapster Explorer where he bathes his pet. I verbally responded with "GREAT JOB BUBBY! You did the bubbles on your game. I'm so proud of you! Why don't you go finish washing the bubbles on your game and when Mommy is done, you can show her?" Thrilled with my accolades, he danced out of the bathroom singing and chanting "Bubbles, bubbles, I did it wif the bubbles..." I smile with adoration and love... he's just so cute!

A few minutes later (or SEVERAL minutes later as that's how long it takes for an elephant to pick herself up off the floor), I waddled my way into the living room towards the sound of my happy, singing boy as he continued to make up lyrics for his "bubbles" song. The sight that met my eyes was at once hilarious and enlightening (and a bit overwhelming). "Bubbles" was not something he was playing on his game, but something he had created and was playing with in two of my four dining room chairs (which were all placed on my living room carpet while the recently mopped floors were drying). "Bubbles" was not, in fact, a recently shampooed electronic pet on the Leapster Explorer, but was a pile of Pledge four inches tall and about six inches in diameter in one chair and in the other, a pile about two inches tall and three inches in diameter. "Mommy! I did it! SEAN HELP YOU CLEAN DA CHAIR! YAAAAYYYYYYY!" I swallow a groan, and smile my biggest smile as I reach for the paper towel in his hand (saving in the process the largest pile from being "wiped clean" onto my living room carpet) and tell him "WOW! What a GREAT helper you are! Look at all these bubbles! Mommy is so happy that you decided to help her! Mommy is even more thrilled that she was able to help you help her in time! Thank you so much!" Sean beamed at me and said "Sean is a good helper, huh Mommy? I make pretty bubbles and clean da chair!" How can you not just love that? Even with an entire can of Pledge on two chairs??? "Yes honey, you are a FANTASTIC helper and Mommy loves you a whoooooooole bunch!"

The next fifteen minutes were spent with Mommy wiping down furniture after Sean sprayed (under direct supervision) a LITTLE bit of Pledge on each item of furniture needing dusting.

I think next time, I'll pay more attention to what exactly "bubbles" might be instead of making assumptions. After all, when you assume anything about what a three year old might be up to, you're merely asking for trouble...

Oh. And I'll also keep a camera handy.