Woog, Eli and Child Labor
All about:
chores,
Woog and Eli
Nighttime. Woog meanders through meal. Evening chore is wiping post-dinner debris off table and sweeping kitchen floor. Woog dawdles. Attempts to prolong inevitable.
Eli is done with meal. Bored out of skull. Gets hold of Mom's old eyeglass case. Starts to pick at rubber lining. Pick. Pick. Pick. Million pieces of soft green snow rain down on floor. Busy hands. Happy baby.
At table, Woog shrieks. Mind's eye sees floor sweep-a-thon til midnight. And Pokemon starts in half-hour.
Woog (near to apoplexy): Eli! Stop! Stop!
Eli (grins at brother): Mmmmm.
Woog (approaching indigestion): Stop! Stop scattering everything!
Eli (basks in attention, picks harder): Mmmmm!
Woog (turns to Mom for help): Mom! Eli's messing the floor!Tell him to stop!
Mom is doing dishes. Tired of waiting for empty plate of slowpoke son. Shrugs. Waits for Woog to solve predicament by self.
Woog wolfs down meal. The sooner to stop brother's particle shower, the better. Speeds through wiping of table. Rushes next door with bowl of leftovers for auntie's dogs. Descends on confetti-happy toddler like avenging angel.
Woog (aflame in artery-popping ire): Eli! You think you're smart?!
Mom winces. Woog uses words with long history. Passed down from grandfather to mother. From mother to son. From son to baby brother. Mom resolves to abolish words from family lexicon.
Eli looks down at handiwork. Red-brown floor is abloom with sprays of soft green. Pretty. Eli chuckles. Beside him, Woog is Rumplestiltskin dancing with rage. Close to tearing hair off. Close to tearing little brother's hair off.
Eli marches to cleaning supplies closet. Takes out broom and dustpan. Commences to do Woog's job.
Woog (near to tears): Eli, stop! You're making it worse!
Woog is right. Felt pieces are tossed about in whirlwind of Eli's passage. Mom collapses in laughter. Nearly drops plate.
Mom (in conciliatory tone): It's okay, Woog. At least he's trying.
Woog harrumphs to living room. Bereft of job. Bereft of speech. Snaps on Cartoon Network and settles down with episode of Pokemon. Mom thinks certain people are secretly relieved to be let off chores.
Meanwhile, Eli commences wrecking havoc with broom and dustpan. Look of intense concentration on face.
Eli is done with meal. Bored out of skull. Gets hold of Mom's old eyeglass case. Starts to pick at rubber lining. Pick. Pick. Pick. Million pieces of soft green snow rain down on floor. Busy hands. Happy baby.
At table, Woog shrieks. Mind's eye sees floor sweep-a-thon til midnight. And Pokemon starts in half-hour.
Woog (near to apoplexy): Eli! Stop! Stop!
Eli (grins at brother): Mmmmm.
Woog (approaching indigestion): Stop! Stop scattering everything!
Eli (basks in attention, picks harder): Mmmmm!
Woog (turns to Mom for help): Mom! Eli's messing the floor!Tell him to stop!
Mom is doing dishes. Tired of waiting for empty plate of slowpoke son. Shrugs. Waits for Woog to solve predicament by self.
Woog wolfs down meal. The sooner to stop brother's particle shower, the better. Speeds through wiping of table. Rushes next door with bowl of leftovers for auntie's dogs. Descends on confetti-happy toddler like avenging angel.
Woog (aflame in artery-popping ire): Eli! You think you're smart?!
Mom winces. Woog uses words with long history. Passed down from grandfather to mother. From mother to son. From son to baby brother. Mom resolves to abolish words from family lexicon.
Eli looks down at handiwork. Red-brown floor is abloom with sprays of soft green. Pretty. Eli chuckles. Beside him, Woog is Rumplestiltskin dancing with rage. Close to tearing hair off. Close to tearing little brother's hair off.
Eli marches to cleaning supplies closet. Takes out broom and dustpan. Commences to do Woog's job.
Woog (near to tears): Eli, stop! You're making it worse!
Woog is right. Felt pieces are tossed about in whirlwind of Eli's passage. Mom collapses in laughter. Nearly drops plate.
Mom (in conciliatory tone): It's okay, Woog. At least he's trying.
Woog harrumphs to living room. Bereft of job. Bereft of speech. Snaps on Cartoon Network and settles down with episode of Pokemon. Mom thinks certain people are secretly relieved to be let off chores.
Meanwhile, Eli commences wrecking havoc with broom and dustpan. Look of intense concentration on face.
Starting them early.This is why we are a nation (in)famous for export manpower.
2 comments:
Super cute!
i wish i could tell my sons' stories as well as you do... :)
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