Toying With The Lesson

(My grandmother is visiting my parents for a few weeks. There is a small cart in which my mom keeps a selection of small toys in for my kids to play with. I have to use it briefly when I go over there one day so I just dump the toys on the couch. When I am done I barely have a chance to start putting them away before my grandmother tells my two-year-old to clean up the mess.)

Grandma: “Put the toys away.”

(My daughter starts happily putting stuff in, and I just start cleaning up my mess along with her.)

Me: “Thank you for helping Mommy.”

(I dump a larger group of toys in.)

Grandma: “[My Name], I told her to put the toys away.”

Me: “But I’m the one that made the mess.”

Grandma: “I’m trying to teach her something.”

Me: “But, I made the mess.”

Grandma: “Well, she doesn’t know that. It won’t make a difference to her.”

(Luckily, we finished quickly, so further discussion was moot, anyway.)