Monday, February 16, 2009

The Poem

The girls didn't have school today, so I was bound and determined to make them clean their rooms today. I knew it wouldn't be pretty... and I was right. There was a lot of complaining, some yelling (okay, a lot of yelling at first-- but I told the girls that I'm allowed to harp and nag after weeks of asking nicely), eye-rolling, sighs of exasperation... definitely not pretty!

What I found quite amazing, though, is that as the rooms got cleaner, the attitudes got better. It was as if by clearing out the junk and arranging the clutter they felt a load being lifted. The girls were no longer feeling overwhelmed by the incredible (and I mean unreal!) amount of stuff surrounding them. I could tell they were feeling relieved and more free. Conversations returned to normal and they even told me they love me! I tried to talk to them about what occurred-- what do you think the chances are that any of it stuck? (Ha!)

Because we cleaned their rooms this morning, they were both able to go play with friends in the afternoon when the invitations came. When I went to pick-up Ginger after her play date, she handed me a poem she had written while she was there. I could tell it was inspired by our morning, and I love it. Here is what it says:

You make me feel happy.
But I sometimes feel crappy.
But I love you!

I love you, too, Ginger! (Here's to hoping their rooms stay clean for a day or two!)

4 comments:

Jennifer said...

Excellent poem. I always say the same thing... I will always start out asking NICELY, but after 3 times, there are no guarantees. You're right--the clutter and the mess bring with them grumpiness. (My daughter and I cleaned her room on Monday, too!) The less mess, the better the attitude!

Lisa Marie said...

LOL :) Killer poem, Ginger! Now she needs to make a "crappy" looking sock creature to go with it :)

Lindseybabe said...

That is awesome! I love the truth from kids! Ginger is wise beyond her years! Here's to more dirty rooms...oh, I mean clean rooms!

Jen said...

Pretty profound thoughts and probably the first time I have seen the word "crappy" used in a poem to such effect. Somehow I don't see this going down the same way at all with my boys.