When we moved into the main house last week, we were eager to use the dishwasher (since the tiny house was strictly a manual affair). We loaded it up with dirty dishes and pushed the "START" button. We had a Han Solo/Empire Strikes Back moment when he says, "Watch this!", punches the throttle for the hyper drive, and the system goes kaput. Well wouldn't you know, we had a more mundane version of that cinematic moment (although I for one could have gone for some TIE fighters in hot pursuit). Nothing happened. We all had a collective Wookiee roar of anguish (OK... last Star Wars reference) and pulled out the dishes and embarked on washing manually.
We contacted the electrician, but in the meantime, we had to wash the dishes manually. Since Jared has been doing less outdoor work than Lauren and I, we decided that the compromise was that he could do all of the dishes. He agreed, but the duly asked, "How do I do the dishes?" WHAT??? You mean in your whole 8 years of age, you've never once washed dishes? He said no, and I had to sit with him and show him how to pre-soak the dishes, soap of the sponge, use the brush when necessary, and rinse/dry. A few wet mishaps ensued, but by and large he got the hang of it fairly quickly.
A week has gone by, and the electrician was able to finally fix our dishwasher (and a few other electrical issues). During the past week though, Jared has really gotten into the groove of washing. I am quite glad to see a little bit of work ethic building up in him. So, when the electrician left, I sort of fibbed and told him, "Oh... the electrician was here to fix the range hood" (not a lie... just not the whole truth) "... keep washing those dishes!"
Wonder how long I can keep up the charade?