Mischief

“I’m sowwy, Mom.” It was a tearful apology.

She shouldn’t have been climbing on the counter in the first place.

A Band-Aid for the pinprick of blood on her heel, a word of caution, and she was on her way – and off the hook.

I liked that cup, outdated as it was. I remember it sitting with its match on my dorm windowsill in college. Usually it was full of healthy herbal tea, which I sipped while chowing down an entire jumbo bag…s of peanut M&Ms to keep me awake during all-night cram sessions.

Balance is good, right?

I confess… I wanted to yell at her. My response, though, has been well-scripted over the years:

“It’s just stuff.”

How many times did our clumsy sibling quad hear those words as we cleared, washed, and put away dinner dishes? Mom leaned down to the planks of the kitchen floor, helping us pick up pieces and wash fragments from crevices.

Wasn’t Mom worried that we’d turn into incurably clumsy adults who purposefully smashed tableware?

I have to admit…

There are times I think it would be cathartic to fling plates against a brick wall.

This parenting business is tricky… reading motives, discerning discipline from exasperation, spending enough time to create opportunities for… “smashing” success…

🙂

I’d love not to shatter my children’s hearts over “stuff.”

While we’re talking “stuff” and taking photos in the entryway (for indirect light from north-facing windows)…

Anyone know how to get crayon out of unfinished pine? It’s been there a while – long enough that my younger daughter was shocked to learn that she was the culprit.

Is it just me, or do you see trouble ahead with that one?

I hope you have a mishap-free Wednesday.

If that’s not possible, at least have a merry one. I dare you to take time to raise a smile out of the mischief-maker in your life today, whoever that person may be.

Now, if I get several calls from people trying to raise a smile out of me today…

Comments
11 Responses to “Mischief”
  1. mom says:

    I love the pictures, Debbie. The lighting is beautiful…….as are the girls. Did I ever tell you how “it’s just stuff” came into being? It, too, was over a broken cup…….and a broken heart……on Christmas day.

    • Anonymous says:

      What wonderful words. As I was reading your blog today I could hear your mother’s voice say those words to me. As, I am the one who broke the top of the teapot. If I remember right several other items too. And I am an adult. 🙂 Judy, Thank you for teaching me those loving words. And Debbie, thank you for reminding me to use them more often.

  2. Fannie says:

    Have you tried Mr. Clean magic eraser?

    • Aunt Fannie! 🙂 I picked up Mr. Clean this afternoon in town, and it worked on the pine panels, the drywall, the cabinets, and the suede-ish box spring of the bed. Mom will be happy to know it should work on the crayoned wall at her house, too. Thanks! I had tried to wash it off before, with no luck.

  3. mom says:

    I don’t know why, but I feel myself drawn, drawn, drawn to the picture closest to the smiley face. I can feel her lips against her fingers, feel the cold of the glass on her hand. Reminds me of a Mary Cassatt painting, for some reason. Eyes drawn to the little circle from below her nose to below her lips, taking in her fingers and lips. But I also wonder what she’s looking at…… and then what she’s thinking. What does a 3-year-old think about? Anyway, maybe Shelly could dissect all that from an artistic point of view. Are there lines there that draw our eyes to that point? Is it more in focus? Do YOU know?

  4. Annie says:

    Fannie’s a lady after my own heart. I was going to suggest the same thing. 🙂

    Beyond that, your pictures called to my soul today, as did your lovely choices of words. I could FEEL your sad/deep/loving mommy heart. You’re a wonderful writer and take FANTASTIC photos, but most of all, I am so glad to have you as a loving sister. Your post brings out many fond memories of my childhood and washing dishes with you. Unfortunately, some of us actually DO grow into adults who tend to be as clumsy at 25 as we are at 5… just ask Drew. 🙂

  5. Pat says:

    Your mom’s words of “it’s just stuff” is why I never liked new carpet or even new furniture. I never wanted to be owned by “stuff”. We do have new carpet in our house now but it doesn’t stress me out as much as it once would have. Even new carpet is just stuff. But I don’t remember the Christmas moment behind it….was it a pitcher and bowl?
    And I love those magic erasers too. Biggest accomplishment with one of those was that a newspaper with colored ink that had gotten wet and stuck to the dining room table. When I got the paper off, you could still see the ink on the table. And, you guessed it, I got the ink off with the magic eraser. (it dulled the finish a bit, but I was able to polish it back).

  6. Pat says:

    PS I love, love those pictures!

  7. mom says:

    It was lots of Christmases ago, and the oldest two were washing up from the fancy “blue plate dinner.” A cup dropped and smashed, and I sucked air and cried, “Oh no! Do you know how much it costs to replace that?” (It WAS replaceable, but not on our budget. Now I know even irreplaceables are still just stuff.) And what it did to our son for the rest of that day I determined would never ever happen again. From then on it was all just stuff.

  8. Julie says:

    Maybe they didn’t understand what you meant by “Blogging Break”.
    “But Mama, I was just trying to help your blog!”
    Your pictures are amazing.

  9. Shelly says:

    Hey- just got reconnected to this blog. Just enjoying being part of the family dialogue…and imagining you were in my living room.

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