Princess Clean and the Clutter Monster

When it comes to kids I have been amazingly blessed.  Given the often cat-dog like nature of the relationships Charles and I had with our own (now adored) siblings, I felt sure my parental karma would serve up double doses of everything we used to do to each other.

Instead I was gifted two beautiful kids who, despite having personalities as different as night and day, get along famously.  Mind you, a lot of that is owed to Charlotte’s infinite patience when it comes to her brother.  She is extremely tolerant – often long past the point where I would have whacked him.

He, in turn, abuses her shamelessly - pouncing on her, body slamming her while she’s watching television, stealing her best food and toys and generally being a nuisance.  His only answer to her reprimands is a cheeky grin and an assault-like tackle-hug.

Charlotte is quite a clean little pussycat and likes her room to be neat.  She often cleans it, making her bed and carefully sorting her toys.  Recently after a fairly intense cleaning session I realised that the deafening silence had lasted longer than the usual 30 seconds.  Silence in our house usually means some diabolically naughty plan is afoot and I have ten seconds to deactivate the child killing, house-levelling time bomb they’re diligently working on.

This time it was not meant to be.  Charlotte was stomach-down on her neatly made bed quietly colouring in and James had managed to create a mound of mess in the middle of her floor and was deeply involved in his own cluttered play.

“Are you guys all right in here?” I asked.

“Yes Mama,” Charlotte sing-songed.

"Ya," James nodded.

“Are you okay with James in here?  I know you’ve just cleaned your room and he’s gone and made a big mess."

She grinned indulgently, “I know Mama, but he just looked so cute while he did it!”