Dishwasher Top Drawer Privileges

Amongst the daily chores the older boys do, is unpacking the dishwasher. It's not an entirely popular chore, and often the root of much ill-will and frantic negotiation. Apparently getting stuck with unpacking the bottom shelf is the absolute pits - because it means you have to unpack the cutlery and put it away. And no one, in the history of mankind, could ever posibly want to Put. The. Cutlery. Away.

Now if the Rooster packed the dishwasher all the time, I would almost understand the distaste such a duty might invoke. He throws cutlery into the dishwasher like he's throwing hoops in the ring toss, oblivious to where they land. So long as the door shuts at the end, it's all good.

I am quite the opposite. I group the cutlery by kind, and ensure everything is facing handle-down so they are properly cleaned. (except knives which, for safety reasons, go handle up) And as I usually pack the dishwasher, I fail to see the drama behind getting "stuck" with unpacking the bottom shelf.

Yet calling dibs on unpacking the bottom drawer continues, and on days when we do not have a completely balanced and just system in place for awarding the Top Drawer Privileges (ie the days I forget who darn well did it yesterday because I just DON'T CARE!!) there is much conflict in our household. Occasionally it comes to violence against the offending party, but more often it involves sly digs at one another in verbal form or in small deeds designed solely to rile up the observer.

Which is why I recently found myself telling the Rabbit that we DO NOT lick the clean plates we remove from the dishwasher before putting them away.

And to pull out all the plates he had thus far licked, and put them on the bench for me to rewash.

And why I rewashed an entire load of plates.

Apparently the Rabbit wanted to rile up his brothers, and both Tubby and Pants are quite particular about cleanliness of certain items - for Pants it is HIS personal items (ie any plate or cup that is yellow or has a dog on it somewhere) and for Tubby it is ALL items.

So apparently carefully and deliberately licking each and every plate he touched was guaranteed to earn sweet revenge for the Rabbit, on his brothers who had "won" Top Drawer privileges.

We like our plates UNLICKED thankyouverymuch!