Just this Once

It won't be the end of the world if my son doesn't get clean sheets this week, will it?

That is, yesterday I stripped his bed and took the sheets to the laundry room to put in the washing machine. But when I opened the washer I discovered it had gotten off balance with the previous load and hadn't finished the cycle. So I adjusted the sheets and towels which were in the washer and let it run its course. It was time for me to leave for an appointment, so I left Matthew's sheets and some other towels in a laundry basket by the dryer. I would take care of it later.
The thing is, when I got home in the afternoon and went downstairs to finish the wash I noticed the laundry basket looked a bit emptier. Upon closer examination I discovered Matthew's sheets were missing. And I thought, Oh. He saw that there were no sheets on his bed, and knew I must have washed them. He found them here in the laundry basket and figured I must have taken them out of the dryer and left them laying here. (Even though it drives me nuts when people leave clean laundry in the basement after taking it out of the dryer. Apparently I don't complain about that enough. Otherwise he would have known I wouldn't have done that. *ahem*) So, he decided to be responsible and take his sheets upstairs and make his bed. What a good kid!
For an instant I contemplated going upstairs and taking Matthew's sheets off his bed again and putting them through the wash with the towels. But I didn't feel like doing it all over again couldn't bring myself to force Matthew to put sheets on his bed twice in one day, so I reasoned - what he doesn't know won't hurt him. Just this once.

And since I'm pretty sure he never reads my blog, I feel confident this will remain our little secret. *wink*