Babcia informs us that L has been absolutely wonderful — “We have a great relationship!” she proclaimed. She’s put the Girl to work, ironing, cleaning, changing bed clothes in the guest rooms.

This is honestly such a relief. The Girl can be, well, a typical twelve-year-old when it comes to helping around the house. I think I expect too much of her sometimes; I think I expect too little of her other times. Even though I’m a teacher and preach this to my students constantly, I forget it with my own kids: perfection is the goal but only insofar as continually striving for it ensures we never settle. Mistakes are part of that process; half-assed jobs are part of that process; even fussing at not wanting to do it is a part of that process.

I don’t want to tinker about with the dishwasher tomorrow. I don’t want to move the left-over bricks into the crawlspace tomorrow. I don’t want to re-mount Papa’s TV tomorrow. I say these types of things to the kids every time they complain about not wanting to complete this or that responsibility, but it’s often more sarcastic than it needs to be.

The Boy likes helping, but he too is starting to complain about things. We all complain. I guess that’s part of it.