Sometimes children are amazing. Sometimes that�s not a good thing. If I hadn�t seen it, I wouldn�t have believed it. It isn�t reassuring.

We�re talking about dishes. Specifically, we are talking about dirty dishes that, if my children had their way, would remain dirty. Or, to be more precise, would be cleaned by the cleaning fairies whom they seem to believe magically appear if they just wait long enough.

Last night, Mr. Philately and I went to dinner with friends. We left the girls with a movie for the VCR, our cell phone numbers, and only one request. After they made their dinner, they were to put their dishes in the dishwasher and then turn it on. They like making their own dinner at times and they like eating so making the dinner was no problem. The problem was the dishes.

We came home after the girls were in bed asleep. At least the dishes were not on the table. They were cleared�and stacked on the counter. The dishwasher was not running and had not been run. Mr. Philately decided it was not our problem and we went to bed.

We awoke before the girls even though we went to bed later. I�m a relatively early riser and was not surprised to be up first. Mr. Philately was up by nine. There were two clean cereal bowls left. We decided to use them and put them in the dishwasher but not to run the dishwasher. We were counting on the natural consequence that the girls would have to wash out bowls to eat.

Silly us! We had underestimated their creativity. Kat came in, groused, and then decided that perhaps toast was in order. Day-Hay came in, groaned, and decided to get the stool so she could reach down poptarts. We sighed and pointed out that they would still have to do the dishes.

Kat tried to pretend she didn�t know where the dishwasher was. She tried to pretend she didn�t know what the dishwasher was. She tried to pretend that she didn�t know how to work our dishwasher (with the strong implication that it was not hers and she could not be expected to work such a complicated machine.) Eventually, the dishwasher was turned on.

As soon as we had clean dishes, the girls, who were not filled up by the sparse breakfasts they believed the dish crisis required, slipped into the kitchen for cereal�AND THEY LEFT THEM ON THE SINK.

At this rate, it�s going to be a loooooooonnnnng summer. The dance of the dish rag is likely to continue. The war of attrition has begun.

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