Actually, that load of towels gets to be washed not just once or twice but three times! Why? Because I finally moved the load to the dryer then to a chair in my living room. I planned on folding those towels but got distracted by other tasks. (In an earlier post I mentioned that putting laundry away is low on my list of priorities.) A while later, I heard Big Brother gleefully playing in the living room. I discovered him rolling around in the clean towels.
My initial reaction was, "Quick! Pick them up and put them back in the chair!" The thought behind this was that if they weren't on the floor too long and weren't played in by a toddler very much, then I wouldn't have to re-wash them! My toddler didn't understand what was wrong. I paused and then joined in the fun. We giggled and laughed as I threw towels on Big Brother and tickled him. (Baby Brother was busy finishing his snack. I'd been cleaning up snack when the play began.)
My reasoning, at his age Big Brother has no understanding of what "dirty" is unless there's actually visible dirt. Which means that he doesn't understand why folding towels that have been played with on the floor is different from folding towels that were sitting in a recliner. I could either try to convince my toddler of something that's above his level or worse get mad at him for something he doesn't understand. Or I could enjoy a fun moment with my son. There will be plenty of time for him to learn the consequences down the road when he's a little older. Besides, it's just laundry and I was the one who didn't put it away!
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