My son Bryce’s room was a disaster. He was eleven, and his dirty clothes were strewn all over his room. I thought I was clever for putting a hamper that looked like a basketball hoop in his room. Either he was a terrible shot, or he had forgotten about the existence of the hamper. I was sick of the mess and the smell. During family council, I let all the kids know I would only wash the clothes in their hampers. Clothes on the floor wouldn’t be washed.
Two weeks later, Bryce came to breakfast in his pajamas on a school day. The rule at our house was that they could eat breakfast after they were dressed. I asked him if it was a pajama day. He said it wasn’t, and that he didn’t have any clean clothes. I told him I was sorry to hear that. I reminded him I had washed all the clothes in the hamper three days ago. The light dawned on him. His hamper had dust on it.
He then said, “I can’t wear pajamas to school. What am I going to wear?” I could muster some concern for his predicament and sent him back to his room. When he came out of his room in his church clothes (minus the tie), I was a bit surprised but hid it. He went to school that way, and his dirty clothes seemed to make it in the hamper after that. I’ve often wondered what others said to him that day. It was great that he learned a lesson without me saying anything to him.
Kerry Eaton, La Luz, New Mexico, USA (Used with permission)