Barbies in the Attic

The happened several months ago, but I just had to document it here, before I forget more of the details. One of my pet peeves is the post hurricane condition of my girls' room. This only changes on the rare occasion that I go through and take care of the aftermath by putting things where they actually belong. I know that kids will make messes when they play, but is it too much to ask that they pack up a bit of it when they are done? So, for weeks, I had been asking the girls to take care of the Barbie stuff that was strewn across their floor. I would ask them to just pick up some of what they weren't playing with - just some. One day, Natasha comes to the kitchen while the other girls are eating their lunch with an object in her mouth, which turned out to be a Barbie teacup. I was not happy. I went to put it into the container that contains all of the tiny Barbie stuff, or should contain all of the tiny stuff. It was empty. I was more unhappy. I started to ask the girls, once again, to pick up the Barbie things, but upon hearing my own voice say those words again, I lost it. I said "That's IT. I am picking it up myself!" Priscilla realizes this in not a good thing. She pleads with me to allow her to pick it up herself (a rare offer, I must say); however, I am fed up. I tell her "No, I'm putting it in the attic!" Now she loses it. There is much weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth. I am unmoved. The problem is, this task is easier said than done. There is no easy access to the attic, it requires the ladder from the garage. I go get it. There is more screaming as I bring it in. I set it up in the hall and push aside the board to gain access to the attic. Throughout all of this, I am explaining to my oldest the consequences of her lack of action in this matter. I go into their room and start tossing things into a Rubbermaid container, while Priscilla continues to protest. Around this time, Samantha comes to me and says "Mom, ask me if I think you should put the Barbie things in the attic." I decide to humor her. She says "YES! Because I am tired of playing with them." This is one of the only things I can imagine finding humorous in this moment. Now, I have a cheerleader. An assistant even. She is by my side through the whole process, even making suggestions of other things that I might want to consider placing in the attic. "I don't mind if you put my pink baby in the attic." I assure her that I am not really looking for more stuff to put up there, just the Barbie things. She also provides me with lots of encouragement throughout the task "I think this is a good idea, Mom. I think you should put it in the attic!" All the while, Priscilla laments the loss of the Barbies. Samantha stays by my side as I climb the ladder, handing things up to me as requested. Maybe I should have discouraged Samantha's pleasure in her sister's misery, but I was kind of enjoying my one gal pep rally. It helped me. Finally, Priscilla's cries of protest fade as the task nears completion. I promise to return the Barbies when the girls can keep their room in respectable condition for a week or so. Clearly, Samantha is not overly concerned about the Barbies' return. In spite of her strong desire to have her toys back, it was still not enough motivation for Priscilla to keep the room clean enough to get them. After a few months, I decided they were ready to have them back. Jeff helped me to get them out of the attic, and they have returned to the girls' room. For now.