Sunday, June 24, 2012

Eileen

Back in high school, one of our teachers called one particular classmate Eileen. Her name was Cheryl.

But whenever she had a question for this teacher, she always leaned against his desk or his chair. He found this irritating and began calling her Eileen to remind her to stand up straight.

I need to start implementing the Eileen rule.

My children lean on me all the time. Seriously, all. the. time.

It drives me crazy.

If I'm at the computer, they're both right there, leaning against the chair in which I'm sitting.

When I'm picking strawberries, squatting down to reach them, Olivia leans against my back, making my already precarious balance almost non-existent.

At dinner, if I happen to eat after them, which happens often because I usually feed the girls together and help Olivia eat (only because it helps her eat more than she'd eat if I left her to her own, capable devices) one or the other child almost always leans against me, wanting to tell me some story or joke or even just be touching while I attempt to eat.

It drives me crazy.

Then there's the leaning against the grocery cart. Ugh!

But the worst leaning incident? When I'm on the flipping toilet. I know, right! I just want to be left alone to do my business and yet there she is, Miss O, leaning against me, waiting for me to finishing so we can do something exciting, like laundry.

The leaning is exhausting and irritating.

I think I'm going to take a leaf from Mr. Smith's book and start calling for Eileen whenever a child is leaning against me and I'd prefer she not do so.

I'll let you know if it works.

I will say that while it did work to make Cheryl stand up and stop leaning at the moment, it didn't actually make her not lean to start with.

With that in mind, maybe I'll just start carrying around a spray bottle and squirt the offender when it happens. Hey, if you can train cats that way, why not kids? Kids are smarter than cats, right? Right?

2 comments:

Lauren said...

Only problem is I think there's more laws protecting kids than cats.. though depending on state, that might not actually be true. LOL!

Anonymous said...

There will come a day when you will long for them to be around to lean on you.....bear up, girl. Whom God appoints, He enables. You are such a hero....and why do I say this???? Because friends are those who come by to hold up your wings when you forget how to fly. Enjoy those girls....and pick the time you choose to lean on them....laughing while you 'pay them back', but it keeps you right in the midst of them also. You are just too cool as a mom to try to shame them into not leaning, but...that spray bottle on a hot summer day might just be only a reminder you could laugh through also. Mom...the person who is always there as they grow, and the person who misses them when they sprout wings and fly into their own world. May God bless you with daily laughter as you walk the walk He has given you!