The Things Parents Do

We’ve all been there.? Lack of sleep, too many things on our mind, and constant chaos cause parents to do (or forget to do) things.

This time I was grilling dinner on the back porch amid the usual chaos.? I made hamburgers and hotdogs, and also some extra chicken so Suburban Mommy could take to work for lunches.? Hamburgers and hotdogs cook faster, so when they were done, we sat down to eat and I left the chicken on the the grill to finish.? After dinner came baths and bedtime routines, and finally collapsing exhausted into bed.

Before going to bed, I went outside to turn off the sprinklers in the front yard.? I remember an odd burning smell but figured it was a neighbor having a barbeque.

Fast forward to the next morning.? Suburban Mommy is getting ready to leave for work, packing up her lunch.

Mommy: Hey, where did you put the grilled chicken?

Daddy: I don’t remember, you must have put it away.? Pause.? Ooooh, craaap.

This is what chicken looks like after it’s been on the grill for 12 hours.

I could go on and on about some of the things we’ve done.? Like the time Suburban Mommy ran an empty dryer without remembering to first move the clothes from the washer.? Or the time I poured juice into my cereal.

What things have you done?

6 thoughts on “The Things Parents Do”

  1. Oh man, that’s funny. Sorry to laugh at your mistake.

    Get ready to laugh at mine:

    I started finishing my basement last fall. First with the framing and the insulation. I work slow, just because I’ve never done this stuff before and also because, uh, I’m just slow.

    Anyway, I wasn’t sure if I should tackle the drywall myself, so I got a quote. Oops, too rich for our blood, so I decided I’d hang it myself and save a big bunch of money.

    It wasn’t too difficult. I rented a lift, got the right screws, etc. Everything was working out just fine. Then one minor glitch… I put up one of the ceiling panels and, after screwing it all in, realized the end was not up against a joist. So, I thought, “I’d better cut about 6 inches off of that so it lines up with the joist.”

    No problem. Drywall saw in hand, I simply cut along the edge of the joist to make a nice clean line from one side of the drywall to the other.

    Only, I forgot something. Right before I reached the end of the board, my sole focus on keeping the saw blade pressed against the joist, all of a sudden I’m standing under a shower.

    I had cut right through the plastic water line going up to the kitchen sink.

    Totally ruined two boards of drywall, PLUS I had to pay a plumber $200 to come out and replace a couple inches of water line.

    So much for saving money.

  2. My list would completely hijack your site.

    I’ve ruined lunch-from-leftovers though by leaving them out on the stove when I go to bed. Yeah, walked right past them on my way. They’ve never looked nearly as bad as your examples, but they’re just as inedible (unless you don’t mind a case of food poisoning).

    I also leave my leftovers in the fridge when I go out of the house in the morning. Every day. Until they’re inedible.

    How about the time I left Scout in his jumpy seat in the house and locked myself out of the house when I ran out to the van with an armload of stuff to go to daycare and work? H was at work. In the city. 2-1/2 hours away. Fortunately, I hadn’t shut the front door correctly when I went out for the mail the evening before so I was able to get in…because not only was it not locked it wasn’t even latched tightly! A double dose of sleep-deprived ditzyness.

    I could go on. and on. and on.

  3. That is hillarious!

    Me?? Many, many such instnaces come to mind. How about a recurring one–

    I’ve unloaded the diswasher–completely put away a full load–only to realize that I had never started the washer.

  4. Too funny! Let’s see….

    I have brushed my teeth with 3 in 1 antibacterial ointment…I don’t recommend!

    Put things in the cupboard that should be in the fridge and vice versa.

    I have done the dishwasher thing to…unloaded dirty dishes and put them away. (my hubs pretty much will pre-wash everthing…it looks clean)

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