Pack Rat

Last week my my middle son announced that he needed to take a pillow to school. His fourth grade class was having a read-in as a prize for their fundraising efforts. Of course he waits to tell me this until five minutes before having to catch the bus! I quickly found an old pillow and was scrambling to find a large shopping bag.

" Don't we have any large shopping bags?!!!" I exclaimed in frustration.

" You can try my bed." my oldest son volunteered with a reluctant look on his face.

I ran upstairs to check his bed. Sure enough he had a large plastic bag from Macys tucked in a corner of his headboard. He also had a smaller one from Barnes & Nobel. What the hell is he doing? Running a shopping network?


The Home Shopping Bedwork
My two older boys share a room. To maximize the space, we bought loft beds so that the boys can have their desks and dressers underneath. My 10 year old prefers to sleep on top of his comforter with a Sponge Bob blanket on top. This way he doesn't have to make his bed. I don't complain because this is also less work for me.

I had noticed that my oldest is a pack rat and had a tendency to stash "treasures"in the gaps between his headboard and the mattress. As long as there are no food items, I have been o.k. with this. Today I decided to take an inventory.

• a Rubric's Cube
• Pokemon Cards
• a set of miniature 8" tall football goal posts
• a 2004 GUINNESS WORLD BOOK OF RECORDS
• a head lamp for reading
• wallet
• another book - SO YOU WANT TO BE AN INVENTOR
• over a dozen clothing tags that "looked cool"
• an electronic quiz game
• Pajamas
• a pair of gym shorts
• a shopping bag ( minus the one I took)
  
• a plastic Ninja sword hanging from one of the bedposts
  

My son came up just as I was finishing my list. " Whatcha doing? " he asked.

" Making a list of what you have in your bed." I answered back.

He peered over my shoulder and made a few corrections. " Make that two headlamps. " he said. " And you need to add a deck of cards."

" Why a deck of cards? " I inquired, as if everything else made sense. " What do you play?"

He told me that he used them to play War against himself. I guess this way he always wins.....Or does he? Do you think I should make him clean out his bed?