Thank heavens for ….

 

washable markers.

Let me set the scene for you: Oven repair man at the house replacing the board in our stove/oven. As he is telling me about something I see Alec streaking by me with a  marker. Although I know it is a washable marker this does not dissipate the rising anger I am feeling. I immediately tune out the repairman and focus in on the preschooler. The man could have been telling me I need to buy the neighborhood all new stoves and I would not have heard him. All I could focus on was the marker.

“Alec did you just write on the walls?” I say through gritted teeth. “Yeah mommy want to see?” Alec replies proudly.  “A L EC” his one syllable name becomes 3 as I can feel my eye starting to twitch. And then a little too proudly Alec says “Come mommy- I’ll show ya what I did. Come look in the closet mommy. Oh and by the TV and you should see MY closet mommy.”  I then realize the repairman has stopped talking and is waiting to see my reaction. I turn and stare at him with vacant eyes because, well, I forgot what he was even talking about. He calmly packs up his things as he can see by my face that anything he says will now be lost on me. He smiles at me and says “I have a 3 year old too”.  This does not make me happy – I want to chuck something at his head. But I walk Mr. Repairman to the door all while ignoring Alec who is still too pleased with himself and who is not quite savvy enough to figure out that he should STOP TALKING NOW.

And because Alec is who his father raised him to be….the last question was the best.  “Can we clean it now? This’ll be great! We get to wash it off”.  Yes folks – my head almost spun off. He did washed it all off the walls. And in hindsight the punishment should have been to not allow him to clean it up.

Needless to say…the markers are not out for free play right now.