The Little Things

Life really is all about the little things. And sometimes the little things turn out to be big things. Last night at bedtime, Jeff asked Ruth if she could do him a big favor today and clean up her room. She reluctantly agreed, and I thought I was in for some big fun as the enforcer. So this morning I asked her to get to it, and I was pleasantly surprised when she did just that. She didn't get too far in to it before we had to leave the house for a playdate, and I thought that would be the end of the cooperation. That thought seemed to be confirmed when I gave her a choice after lunch of finishing her room or taking her rest time, and she picked rest time. But after her nap she got right to cleaning her room without even one word of complaint. She worked diligently and methodically and got the whole thing cleaned by herself in a fraction of the time it normally takes her. And frankly, she did a better job than I would have done had I been the one cleaning it. She even asked me if we could bring in the vacuum cleaner! She was so proud of her accomplishment and couldn't wait for her Daddy to see it. This was a huge deal for us, because she never willingly cleans her room--and she never does such a thorough job. We were very proud of her, so we took her out to celebrate at Cici's. She really is getting to be such a big girl.