Go wash your hands. With soap.

Clair Huxtable is my hero. I would like nothing more than to be a mom just like her. And I'm halfway there. Or at least my kids kinda look like hers.

We were watching an episode of The Cosby Show the other day about her instructing the kids to "Go upstairs, take off your clothes, turn on the water, get UNDER the water..."

If I have learned anything in the last 9 months of parenting, it's that if you want something done, you must be very specific about what you want. But on the other hand, if you are too specific, you lose them in all the words. It's a very delicate balance, giving instructions to a child.

The other day I asked Charlie to go wash his hands and come unload the dishwasher, which is one of his jobs. I expect his future wife to thank me profusely for this one day. He complied and soon returned...crawling on his hands and knees down the hallway, totally undoing the job of the recent handwashing. I sent him back to wash again, explaining why he must wash again since he had just walked down the hall on his hands. He returned in about three and half seconds, hands damp with water.

I questioned him.

"Did you wash your hands??"
"Yes."
"Did you use soap?"
"Ye...No."
"Why did you not use soap to wash your hands?"

A fairly long pause ensued as I stood there looking at my oldest and he looked around the room as if someone else may give him the answer he was looking for.

"Charlie. Why did you not use soap to wash your hands?"
"Mommy no tell me use soap this time," he said in his broken English and cute little accent.

Sigh.

"Does mommy ever tell you to use soap when I tell you to wash your hands?"

Another long pause.

"I don't know."
"Go wash your hands. With soap"

He wandered off muttering. "I wash hands three times. Already. All the time. Washing hands."

The dishes did get unloaded. But I was very specific.

"Open the dishwasher. Take out ALL of the dishes using your hands. Those are the things hanging off the ends of your arms. Put them on the kitchen counter. Don't forget the silverware. And don't forget to dry off the things that may still be wet. That would be that clear liquid material collected on the top of the cups. When you are finished, shut the dishwasher door and walk away."