Growing Pains

My husband was grouchy today. But I guess that's what a stubbornly stopped up toilet will do for you. When my sister's dog pooped in the floor, Hillary, wanting to be helpful - and save the dog from my wrath - cleaned it up. All well and good except she dumped the dog poop AND the 42 paper towels she had used to pick it up into the downstairs toilet.
Dad plunged.
And plunged again with the brand new plunger specially designed to fit our narrow sloping hole.
And poured Drano in and let it sit.
And tried to flush.
And bored into the clog with the brand new snake, purchased for this special occasion.
And can I just say it's a good thing we have two other bathrooms, cause this one is just going to have to sit for a while. I tried pointing out that it will eventually disolve on it's own, but he just grunted and laid back in his big chair with his eyes closed, which is what he does when he's trying to not be mad, and groused about how spoiled the kids are.
This is not Hillary's first go-round with troublesome toilets. A couple of years ago, she flushed the upstairs toilet when it was clogged...and the chain got looped on itself, keeping the tank from filling up and creating a waterfall over the sides of the bowl. She let it go for a minute or two, while trying to stop the deluge with a few scraps of toilet paper before she finally yelled for me. Seconds later Parker yelled from downstairs, "Dad! It's raining poop water down here!" This little faux pas caused us to have to replace all of the ceiling tiles and repaint the downstairs bathroom. And did we take it out of her allowance? No, Hubby pointed out, We did not. And was she the one getting her feet wet and wearing her arm out twisting the plumbing snake? No, She was not. I reminded him that everyone makes mistakes sometimes, and that she never complains when she has to take her brother places, and she does laundry and dishes without being asked, and when she goes out with her friends she uses her own money from her allowance or babysitting job. He didn't respond, just headed toward the Xbox to work out his frustration in virtuality. Perhaps they should create a game where you get points for blowing up toilets.
Anyway, a little while later Hillary came down and said, "Mom, I've decided I'm not going to church camp this year." I was shocked. She had been very excited about it. But due to being chosen for a special trip to Washington DC, and also being chosen to participate in Girls State, she was already going to be gone two weeks out of the month of June. Church camp was the third week she would be asking off from her brand new job with a local photographer. "Yeah, I really need to work. My boss needs me and I'm going to need the money." I asked her if she was sure. She said yes, but her mouth had that tightness around it I know means she's trying not to cry. I said, "Well, I know that's a hard decision, but it is a mature one and I'm proud of you."
And then I read aloud to her in the big comfy chair for a while.
And she let me.
And that's how it is to grow up. It loops in and around and onto itself with good and bad decisions and consequences of our own actions. Or maybe it swirls. Like an overflowing toilet.