Lord of the Flies ~ Part 1

We are in the midst of an experiment. Hence I have time to blog...

What happens when the adults go "off duty?" By "off duty" we don't mean we are leaving the kids alone all weekend, I mean, we are here, but essentially we aren't working. No cooking, no cleaning, and only little parental guidance. We, the grown-ups, are taking the weekend off and only one of us will be 'required' to be present at any given time. The goal? Besides a break, is to let the kids experience just how much work it is to plan meals, shop, cook, clean, maintain a semblance of order, etc.

It is Saturday afternoon. We began last night at dinner. Chaos. Kids' adrenaline was pumping from the excitement of perceived liberation from parental rule. Dinner? What to eat for dinner? Eggs? Cereal? Yogurt? Ice Cream? Yes. Lots. Picture this: seven children in the kitchen all vying for space to prepare the meal of their choice. Eva, pouring corn flakes and overfilling her bowl all over the kitchen floor. Kids cooking eggs with a layer of salt...ick. Oh and the discovery of ice cream in the freezer!!! WOOHOOO! Chaos reigned, but the adults not only kept their composure, and distance somewhat, but we had many a good laugh over what was transpiring in our virtual absence. Crunched up corn flakes on the floor...wwuuuhahahaha!!!! Eva trying to put ice cream in a cone....heeheeheehee!! She ended up with a bowl with ice cream in it and a cone mosaic garnish....hahahaha!

This morning...WHAT? No eggs left!! Mom, what are we going to EAT??? *shrug* I dunno. They each solved that question a different way. I think Eva ate a half liter of yogurt. Whatever.

But as the hours evolve we see leadership and responsibility emerge. Last night after the disastrous dinner, 3 or 4 of the kids took the IPod docking station into the kitchen, turned on High School Musical 2 music, and cleaned up. Then, this morning, Maria and Kerline started meal planning for the weekend, made a grocery list, went shopping, made spaghetti and salad for comida, they have pizzas ready for dinner tonight and they are already planning on chicken and rice for tomorrow. Jolie and Elena have been helping too. Bronson and Eva are playing. Relative rest among the natives.

When a couple of the kids get out of hand (not only EVA...I know what you're thinking) then the older ones are stepping up and getting them under control...pretty well anyway. Now, Jolie and Kerline are taking out Eva's braids and all the kids are watching a movie quietly.

I'll let you know how the weekend finishes out. We have a family debriefing meeting on Sunday night. But the way it's going right now, maybe we'll do this more often!