Tuesday morning. 8:10am.
The phone rings one traffic light before the entrance to the highway, and the computerized voice in the car announces that my spouse is calling. My stomach drops: this is likely not good. “I hope nothing’s wrong,” I say to my carpool buddy as I press the “answer” button on the steering wheel.
“Hi Honey,” his voice is tense. I catch my breath. “Things are a bit akimbo here and we’re hoping you can help us. Mr. 17 is trying to find his clean clothes. I know you put Mr. 15’s clothes in the dryer before breakfast. Is there any chance you saw Mr. 17’s clothes when you did that? Do you know where they might be?”
I have to press my lips together to keep from laughing out loud.
“Um, yes. I put them in the laundry basket and put the basket on the stairs leading up to his bedroom.”
My spouse is disbelieving. “Are you kidding?”
“Not even a little.”
The message is relayed to the child, and the missing clothes – in a bright blue basket – are, indeed, discovered on the middle of the bottom step, the one he had to walk on to get downstairs to look for his clothes. Through the line, I hear my child’s voice ring out, “Got ‘em!”
My spouse and I guffaw; my carpool buddy and I guffaw some more, and the call ends, seconds after it started. Now we’re on the highway, heading towards even more 15 and 17 year olds who could very well be, at this moment, running through their own homes in their underwear, desperately looking for the laundry that their parents put directly in front of them.
Or maybe it’s just my kid.
Persistence and Pedagogy 
I’m so glad I took one last look at our “Slice of Life” posts and saw yours because I needed a hearty laugh. You can’t make up these moments with teenagers!
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This was me, for most of my life while I lived with my mom. Now that I’m married, it’s my husband. Are you telling me it will also be Elena in the future?! Hahaha
Thanks for this morning humor, Amanda!
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Mother to the rescue! Love your slice. Your words your reader visualize the situation.
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I love how we are witness and participant in your same feelings — tense at the beginning, fearful of what’s to come, and then sheer relief (and disbelief) at what the call was really about. Oh, women, and our amazing power to keep track of it all. Loved that final image, too! 🤣
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How is it that we can never see what is right in front of us? Your post was the perfect way to start my day.
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urgh,
I get this so utterly. I love that your spouse was clued in enough to know that Mr 15’s stuff was in the dryer. And as the ADD parent of an ADD grown-ass adults, I sooooo get the walking past the stuff. Argh. Thank you for the smile.
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urgh,
I get this so utterly. I love that your spouse was clued in enough to know that Mr 15’s stuff was in the dryer. And as the ADD parent of an ADD grown-ass adults, I sooooo get the walking past the stuff. Argh. Thank you for the smile.
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