"Boy" it starts early!

My eight-year-old son and I had this exchange this evening:

8yo: Mom, my room is clean. Can I go play Playstation?

Me: First, I want you to go to the linen closet and on the bottom shelf there are some dingy old washcloths in a basket. Get one...

8yo: What's the "linen closet?" (we have lived in our house almost 6 years, but who's counting?)

Me: You know, the cabinet at the end of the hall where we keep the...

8yo: Oh, yeah, yeah!! I know!

Me: (hoping to get a complete instruction out without being interrupted): And get some cleaner, and I want you to wipe the mud off of your bedroom floor that you tracked in with your shoes.

8yo: THEN can I play Playstation?

Me: For 30 minutes.

I continue making dinner. My son comes in about 10 minutes later to tell me he completed the task. Our evening continues normally--dinner, a bit of playtime, bedtime.

Just a few minutes ago, I walked into the bathroom. There, in a soggy, wet heap next to the sink is a washcloth. Not a dingy, old washcloth, but a brand-new, purple one. With mud streaks all over it.

The nice purple washcloths are kept in the BATHROOM--in a drawer. NOT in the LINEN CLOSET. And judging by the soppy washcloth mess, and no sign of a cleaner bottle on the counter--he wouldn't have put it away--this kid got one of my brand-new washcloths sopping wet and then went into his room and wiped up the mud. At least, I think he wiped up the mud. I guess I will be checking that in the morning.

But basically, he didn't listen to a word I said, and managed to find the one thing to clean with that might cause me to have a coronary.

Yep--he is well on his way to making some woman a very typical husband!