I was wondering when I would hear it. After four days of school vacation and having no fun activity planned for today, I knew Iz’s claim of total and utter boredom was just around the corner. Little did I know that when I went into the family room this morning, I’d see a little blonde head behind a pile of toys, and it would speak to me from the corner of the room and say, “Mommy, I’m bored!”
Iz was supposed to fly to Philadelphia and then drive to see her grandparents for the weekend; however, available flights out of Manchester weren’t plentiful today. It worked out well anyway, because she told me she was afraid to fly by herself. Of course, this was the same girl who bravely got on a flight a year and a half ago and flew to Philadelphia by herself.
I wondered what changed fearlessness into frightfulness. She had gotten older, so maybe it was her increasing years, which weren’t really many. Though, when I was 23 years old, I never braked my bike when going 25 m.p.h. down a hill; these days, I do!
Anyway, like any parent, I immediately offered a number of activities that Iz could partake in.
You can walk Monty around the yard.
No.
You can pick up your shoes in the entry way and put them in your room.
No.
You can clean up the mess in this room.
No.
I usually cleaned the house and did laundry on Fridays. So, I didn’t plan on a trip to the museum, the beach, or the mall. I figured that Iz might like to help out, but obviously her participation in cleaning was off limits while it was still officially school vacation.
She then said again, “I’m bored.” I said, “Well, why don’t you go to the after-school vacation program then?” She scrunched up her little face and said, “Noooooo!” It felt ironic that Nathan had no worries leaving me but Iz never wanted to.
She sat on the couch and said, “I miss Mackenzie, Nicole, Mindy, and Rachel.” These were her friends at school. I knew she was not only bored, but she was missing school in a big way when she sighed and said, “And, I miss Miss Tessier!”
I said, “Well, school starts again on Monday.” She seemed to get no solace from this. And going from first gear to fourth gear, she asked, “Mommy, why is there no kids day?”
This must be a parent-child Frequently Asked Question. I asked Iz what she meant, and she said, “Well, there’s Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, but there is no kids day!” I remembered how my Mom responded to me when I asked this very same question of her years ago and said, “Every day is kids’ day!” Iz scrunched up her little face again when she heard that.
I told her that we really had to clean up the family room, so I could vacuum. She frowned and sighed. If had been employed by me that very minute, I’m sure she would have quit.
Quite surprisingly, she got off the couch and began to pick up her Barbie dolls. I left to go fetch the vacuum upstairs, and as I walked up the stairs, I heard, “But, Mommy, aren’t you going to help me?”
I like to call this phenomenon The Mess According to Iz. She can make numerous messes; however, when it’s time to make the mess into a memory, it would appear that the mess is not her sole responsibility to clean up. You see, somehow when I was making dinner, doing the laundry, or vacuuming the rug, my evil twin had aided and abetted her in committing the messy crime in question; therefore, I was legally bound to help her clean it up.
Another thing I love about children at this age is their ability to believe. When Iz first explained her Big Mess Theory to me, she explained it to me with such conviction, almost as if she was reading it out of a law book, that I almost believed her. The last few years, I’ve listened to her explain her It Was Not Me Who Left the Bathroom Light On theory, her It Was Not Me Who Forgot to Flush the Toilet theory, and her I’m Not The One Who Squeezed Thunderbolt and Made Him Howl theory; she is so convincing that most times I stand there, think “Maybe she has a point,” and then shake my head violently and say, “Hey, that’s not right!”
When I arrived back downstairs and entered the kitchen, Iz yelled, “Mommy, why am I doing this by myself?” I said, “Isabelle Georges!” And, she knew I meant business, because I don’t play my first name-middle name card a lot. Iz glared at me and said, “Mommy, don’t say Isabelle Georges,” and I said, “I’ll help you in a minute.”
In five minutes, I came back into the family room. She had picked up everything. Proudly and somewhat amazed, she said, “Look, Mommy! I picked it all up.”
I thanked her, and then she said, “I’m going upstairs.” It was a quick exit. I wondered if she was on a roll and was going to pick up her room or she feared she might be cleaning out the refrigerator in another five minutes.
After I vacuumed, I went upstairs to check on her. It’s amazing how cleaning can make a bored child resourceful; she was on her bed, watching a DVD, and coloring. For the rest of the afternoon, I didn’t hear “I’m bored” again!
I was only summoned three times thereafter. The first time I heard, “Mommy, Mommy, Mommy! This is so cool. Come quick!” She wanted me to view a Cardinal that perched itself outside her bedroom window.
The second time, there were no words. I was sitting at my desk and a Polly Pocket doll was dropped onto my desk along with blue plastic pants and a green plastic top. I hate dressing these little plastic people; dislike is a kinder word, but I really do hate this!
As you can see, I was somewhat successful. I think Plume the kitten has the right idea. The only useful purpose for these little plastic clothes is as cat toys to be batted about the house and carried around in the mouth when not being batted.
The third time, I heard, “Mom, come look at Liam!” I sincerely hoped when I arrived in her room that Liam would not be squeezed into Iz’s American Girl doll’s gaucho pants and embroidered peasant top. I was relieved to see that she had only found a new use for Liam – head rest.
So ends another school vacation. At any age, the thrill of being totally unoccupied is fleeting. The desire for activity and friendship is always missed before too long. On Monday, Iz would certainly look forward to going back to school; and I’d continue to look forward to a job that I could go back to soon. ♥
Happy Weekend, everyone!
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