My husband was born and raised in the military. He then went into the military himself. Whether it was this lifestyle that made him "the neatest person EVER," maybe it was because of his Mama who raised him right, or it could just be because that's "who he is." One may never know.
My Mom is also just about the neatest person I've ever known. If there's so much as a spot on the counter, she's on it...if a sock hits the floor it doesn't have a chance. She's like a hawk.
Enter...me. I'm not the messiest person on earth but I somehow managed to make my parents nuts my whole childhood and now my loving husband has been caught staring at me in disbelief. I know he doesn't expect a spotless house with music playing and four perfectly dressed children holding his slippers and morning paper or anything, but wow. Sometimes I'll have to admit, he does come home to the closest thing this side of a tornado. I think that I actually saw him physically twitch once.
When we were about to have our first baby, someone once told me, "You never know what kind of child you're going to get." I knew each little one would have their own personality, physical characteristics, temperaments, etc. I never put much thought into whether they would be a "neat freak" or messy though. This brings us back to Ethan.
Of our four children, he is the one who is showing the signs to make my husband proud...literally. He has gone so far as to hand make his own little signs to tape to the back of our toilets, reminding his brothers and sister to "Flush" when they're done.
I was called into work one day and my Mom was wonderful enough to come and watch the kids. While I was gone she decided that our house was too messy so of course, she began to clean. Ethan was evidently recruited as her buddy on this particular day. I guess he had a blast squirting the bottle of her homemade concoction of white vinegar and water to wash the windows and tables. He picked up all of the toys and pushed the vacuum. She said that he was mesmerized when he watched her clean the toilets. He decided right then and there that they should remain spotless.
Mom told me that he marched right to the table and began to make some signs. She watched him go to the bathrooms and stick them to the toilets. When I got home from work, I went to check them out. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. I turned to look at Ethan and saw that he was so proud of himself. I knew right then that he was "one of them." I gave him a huge squishy hug and thanked him for cleaning. On and on I went about how amazing the house looked, while shooting a look at my Mom knowing that it was one of the happiest days in her life. When my husband came home from work, I think his exact words were, "The force is strong in that one." nice.
I will have to admit, what once was annoying in our house with four young kids has been all been but wiped away. (No pun intended.) We used to have three little boys and a baby girl who would never flush the toilet which became somewhat of a nuisance. That's all changed now that we have our seven year old "Tidy Bowl Man" to patrol the house.
Don't be surprised though if you ever come for a visit and use the bathroom. You'll never know when you step out, if you might just have a little nose popping through the doorway with a huge front toothless smile saying, "Did you FLUSH?!"
...Oh, and you're on your own if you leave your socks on the floor. :)