Laundry Lessons

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My daughter and I began our day with a discussion about laundry.

"Mom, you didn't wash my shirt for work."

No. No I didn't.

She's not a brat, mind you -- just an only child who grew up with a mom who hates washing half-full loads of clothes. As a result, although she knows how to do laundry and routinely does some of her own, she's become used to not having to depend upon her own resources to get clean clothes.

But this summer, things are changing. In exactly a month, she'll be moved into a dorm. There will be no Mom backup for laundry or dishes or any of the myriad things Mom does.

And so I've stepped back. The usual rules still apply -- if the dirty clothes are in the basement, I'll throw them in when I do a load.

When I do a load. 

In the summer, loads take longer to fill. Clothes are lighter, thinner, smaller. Fewer loads are washed, and the one you want isn't always full.

Did I mention that I hate washing half-full loads of laundry?

And this summer, she's working full time, which means figuring out how to squeeze laundry (among other things) into the nooks and crannies of her time when she's home (which is not often). You know. Kind of like how it's going to be when she's at school.

And so this morning, when she told me I hadn't washed her shirt, I had one of those wonderful, rare Mom moments where you say exactly the right thing in exactly the right tone without being snarky or sarcastic or launching into a lecture.

"Honey, it's your responsibility to make sure your shirts are clean for work."

Aaahhh. A parenting victory.

And a tiny little check mark in the otherwise very empty "pro" side of sending her off to school.

Gotta take 'em where you can find 'em.