Past Expiration Date

Every so often, as a parent, you make the mistake of trying to get one last thing done even though it's past the kids' bed time. This evening I fell into this trap in attempt to make Julia (age 7) and Isabel (age 5) clean their room before bed. The following dialog ensued:

Darwin: Julia, you're the expert on fashion. You pick up all the clothes that are on the floor and see if they are dirty or clean. Clean clothes go in the appropriate dresser, dirty clothes go in the basket I'm taking down to wash.

Julia (angrily piling clothes in the basket): I'm good at telling if clothes look good, not if they're clean.

Isabel (perched on top of the radiator -- not picking up toys as directed -- and kicking her legs): Oh, that's easy. Just smell them, and if they smell disgusting, they're dirty.

Julia: That would be all of your clothes.

Isabel (indignant): No! ... Just two or three.

Bed time for Bonzo...