IF YOU DO FOR ME, I WILL DO FOR YOU

Anthony is quite obsessed with playing his Star Wars Playstation 2 game. So obsessed that I find myself having to drag him away from the T.V. screen in order to get him to eat lunch, use the bathroom, etc.

It is a little bit out of control - his love for his video games is so strong, that there are times he wakes up to find the T.V. and Playstation have mysteriously dissappeared.

Well, the Playstation has been in hiding for a good 6 months and all was going well until he saw it in the motor home when we were camping last weekend. He begged and pleaded for us to let him bring it back into the house. He promised he would be good and turn it off when Momma said. He promised there would be no crying, and no tantrums when he got frustrated with the game.

Of course, I fell for it. And of course, he did not follow through on his promises.

Everytime he is told to turn it off a huge tantrum ensues, when he can't pass a level and wants my help he gets angry that I don't know how to play. It is business as usual with the darn playstation, and once again, here I am left wondering why the heck I brought the god forsaken thing back into the house. Why?

Well, here I was this morning, trying to get some things done around the house, when Anthony comes walking up to me sniffling and pleading for my help to pass a level. At the time, I was getting ready to start cleaning the toilet and a brilliant thought came over me.

"Anthony, Momma is busy cleaning. If you want me to help you play Star Wars, then you will have to help me clean the toilet."

Long pause....

"How do you do that?"

"Momma will put the cleaner in the toilet and you have to scrub it with the scrub brush."

"O.K. I will do it."

And he did.

And I helped him pass that level on the Play Station.

He does for me, I do for him.