House on Fire While She's On The Phone

Young kids don’t understand why they should go to their room when they want to be with us in the same room. They disturb us because we are on the phone, talking to other people in other rooms, in other homes, in other countries.

If only we can switch off the phone for an hour so that we can play laundry. You’ll be the washing machine, mummy will be the drier. What we regard as work, is play to kids, but they are learning. Because they always ‘help’ mummy, they know that you don’t mix white shirts with black or red ones. They know that you empty pockets. Who knows? You might find $10. Folding laundry is a lesson in road construction. Pillow cases and towels are easy, but fitted sheets are like laying internet cables.

When kids are in the same room with us, they know how to empty the grocery cart and put food in respective places like the vegetable tray in the fridge. It takes longer, but it makes them smile when we approve. The freezer section might be too high for them, so we ‘help’ them with that. When kids are in the same room with us, they see us producing orange juice using the manual juicer (might be too young for electrical gadgets). They want to help. Too messy but it’s worth it. You give them a spoon to eat the pulp in the freshly squeezed orange juice.

When kids are in the same room with us, they cannot wait to tell daddy, aunties or grandparents what they did when they were in the same room with us.

Nonqaba waka Msimang

Executive Blogger