I think it is safe to say that there are very few items and articles I have not been asked to find in this house–at least once! Everything from items of clothing to calculators to keys and bus passes to lost library books. I’ve even been asked if I know the whereabouts of things I did not even know had found their way into the house (live creatures tend to unhinge me the most)…
No one tells you that when you become a parent you will also need to be chief prop master and inspector-of-lost-and-misplaced items. Sure, you’re warned about the 2 am feedings and the unexpected trips to the emergency room–but no one tells you that you will constantly be lifting up dust ruffles to look under beds, and rummaging through closets and scary backpacks. No one warns the new parent of a lifetime of “have you seen my?” I always thought that I should start a spread sheet or inventory of every item and article that came into this house (a bar code, maybe?) so that I could have a reliable tracking system of what and where everything is.
The thing is, after years and years of this hunting and searching, a person starts to get a little loopy. I can’t help but think I’ve “just seen” all sorts of things. Items I know have not been in this house for months, if not years. Didn’t I just see my daughter’s roller blades (which were actually sold at a garage sale after she outgrew them about five years ago?) It starts to become a blur and, by the time they are teenagers, a parent starts to mistrust her memory anyway. After all, didn’t I just buy a gallon of milk yesterday? I could have sworn I put it right in the fridge on the top shelf when I got home…but it looks like we’re out again…
Also: Parents Get Bored,Too
All the STUFF That Comes Home at the End of the School Year