(Non) Hired Help

Several months ago, upon finishing up an afternoon of paying bills, I brought my giant pile of financial information-bearing papers to the kitchen for shredding.  And as I got to work KJ asked what I was doing, and if he could give it a whirl.  I checked to be sure fingers could not reach the blades, and away he went. 

He's now used the shredder quite a few times, and has the method down pat.  Though, usually, this is something that is reserved for Jackson's napping hours. 

Except for today. 

I paid bills this morning, and without thinking brought up the pile of papers and called KJ to the kitchen.  This being one of his more exciting chores, he raced in and got started.  Of course, Jack quickly followed to figure out what fun was to be had. 

I explained with a little snicker that KJ was playing Enron, and immediately Jack was all about "pwaying Enwon" as well.

At first he excitedly grabbed a handful and tried stuffing them in all at once.

But KJ was quick to show him how to properly unfold each sheet and insert them one in at a time (to make the job last as long as possible, of course,) and though Jack never really got the hang of it, he was quite happy to function as The Unfolder.

And then when the job was finished, the real fun began.  Because what KJ never thought to do was ask if those great shreds?  Could be dumped out, and played with.

They started out with less than half of what had been shredded.  It functioned as grass, and snow, and rain.  They made a mountain, and a pathway, and then the Earth.  And while I declined requests for a big bottle of glue, pleeeease, I was happy to let them play away as long as the mess was contained to the kitchen.

The pile grew larger and larger and larger,

until finally the Fisher Price school bus was called in to haul some of it away.

And folks, you'd be amazed at how much a school bus can really hold.  A whole tower, says he.

Of course, what help would the school bus be without the accompaniment of a bulldozer, dump truck (and lime green squirt gun?) to contribute to the fun.  It was all out paper mayhem, with vehicles,

and bodies, included.

After a good long while, the disaster was wide spread and the paper fun began to grow old, as most things do when you're five and two (and twenty-nine.)  And I looked around my kitchen, which now appeared to be the hosting room from last night's frat party, and wondered what exactly I had started by calling for help in the first place.

Just yesterday Kevin's eighty-two year old Granny shared with me that those days spent with her young children were the best days of her life, and in spite of the somtimes crazy and frequent messes, I can definitely see how.

Comments

[Jen L.]

I"m glad to see they remain easily amused when they are "big boys." My four month old just played with his own finger for an hour. ;) Wait til they figure out they can decorate baby Marin with all those shreds!

[Michelle Z]

Wow, who knew paper could be so fun!?

[SJ]

So true! It's the simple things that they have the most fun with.

[Kim]

My boys would definitely have fun with that - and bring in the trucks. It always comes back to the trucks! I love moments like that with them - when we are all happy and laughing and it seems as if we are the only ones in the world!

[Jenny]

I am a firm believer that no matter how many store bought toys children have, and how high tech toys become, it is simple and often "non-toy" things that are the most fun!

Now, please bring the two of them over to my house to shred all three HUGE boxes of old bills, papers, etc, that I moved from my old house!

[bubblewench]

Now THAT is recycling at it's finest! I'm glad they had so much fun. Well, at least it looks like they did!

[Rachel]

Looks like they had fun, I think I may try that!

[John Wilkes and Liberty!]

As a thirty year old boy, I have to say that I too love shredding paper. Makes me feel important, as if someone would WANT to steal my identity (something they'd regret when they found out what my identity entails, no doubt).

As for the presence of a squirt gun, well, every boy knows that if you can combine guns, trucks and making a pig's breakfast of things, it doesn't get much better than that (pace Old Milwaukee ads).

"Playing Enron" is great...I guess for our generation it would have been "playing Iran-Contra."

[Amy W]

My grandmother watched my twin brother and I when we were little, and let us make messes. One day she let us play with her canned goods (and she had a ton...). After leaving us alone for a few minutes, she came back to discover we had removed all the labels off of her canned goods.

She had a surprise for months on what she was having with dinner...

[autumn dahlia]

I wanna pway enwon too!!

I haven't been having nearly as much fun with my shredding!