Things Only I Can Do

When my kids were little, they had to depend on me to do things for them.  Let me tell you, it can get so tiring being the main person that kids depend on to do almost everything. I’m not taking anything away from their father, but let’s be real.  We all know that kids tend to gravitate to their mothers more than they do to their fathers. The list is endless:  Mom, I’m hungry.  Mom, I need you to buy me a book for school.  Mom, I can’t find (fill in the blank).  Mom, I need a gift for the birthday party.  Mom, can I have some money.  Mom, I need a ride to (fill in the blank).  Mom, can you (fill in the blank).  Mom.  Mom. Mom. I used to hear that day in and day out. Even when they were at their father’s. If they needed or wanted something, they called me. 
 
I couldn’t wait for my kids to become self-sufficient and a little more independent.  I welcomed the independence that would come with age.  But, now that I have two teenagers, I now realize that there are still some things that only I seem to know how to do.  Let me give you some examples:
            

1. I am the only person in the house who knows how to load the dishwasher properly.  On the occasions when my kids will actually take the dishes out of the sink and put them in the dishwasher, I find dishes and cups are all over the place.  Cups are stacked on top of each other. Tupperware is stacked on top of the bowls.  Knives are pointing up (I’ve accidently stabbed myself a few times), and dishes are not lined up neatly in rows.  I keep telling these kids that the water can’t get into the cups if they are laying sideways, but my words just seem to fall on deaf ears.
2. Only I can seem to remember that the garbage needs to go out on Monday and Thursday nights.  I just don’t get it.  Its really not that hard to remember.  What gets me is that these kids can walk passed all the houses with garbage thrown on the sidewalks, and it doesn’t dawn on them to take the garbage out when they get home.
3. I am also the only one who remembers that the sidewalk and steps need to be shoveled if it snows.  The last time it snowed, my son got home before I did. I asked him why he didn’t shovel the snow when he got home.  His answer was classic, “I didn’t think about it.”  At least he followed it up with, “I was so cold when I got home all I could think about was getting warm.”  Ok, I’ll give him that one.  But once you warm up, go outside and shovel the snow.
4. I know that everyone in this house at some time during the day has to use the bathroom.  I assume that everyone that uses the bathroom appreciates having clean toilet paper to use once they are done doing what they need to do.  That being said, what I don’t understand is how no one but me, knows that the toilet paper needs to be replaced!  Its not like we only have one roll left.  I buy it in bulk at BJ’s and store it in the bathroom! There’s always toilet paper in the house!  Change it!
5. When the person who took the shower last uses up all the soap, apparently, I am the only one who knows where the spare soap is stored in the bathroom.  Let me tell you, there’s no better feeling than getting into a nice hot shower, one that you’ve been looking forward to, to realize that there’s no soap … AND … someone has finished off your Origins Salt Scrub and left the empty tube in the shower.
6. Also, I am the only one who knows where the back-up toothpaste is stored.  Or rather, should I say that the toothpaste is hidden.  You would think it is since no one but me can open up the sink cabinet drawer to find it next to the other four tubes (another BJ’s bulk purchase).
7. No one else knows how to wipe down the kitchen counters and stove after they’ve cooked.  The crumbs and drink splashes are invisible to everyone but me.

 
This list can go on and on and on.  But, I think you get my point.  No matter how old your kids are, there are certain things that apparently only you can do.
 
Now you know, and you can …. Consider Yourself Warned
 
What are some of the things that only you know how to do at your house?