Short term memory loss and kids

Now I understand why we are driven to have children. It's for our long term survival.

My five-year old daughter likes following me around and "helping" me when I do odd jobs around the house (just like my, now, eleven-year old son used to do when he was five). While this can be very distracting (there are questions every ten seconds and observations about what I'm doing every fifteen seconds), it makes her really happy to be helping dad. This week-end, one of my jobs was to reattach a large mirror to the bureau in our bedroom. My daughter helped by handing me various tools as I needed them and by making up a story about how the mirror was talking to her just like in the fairy tales we read.

This morning, I needed to go to the basement for something and noticed that my tool box was open. I soon realized that it was open because I hadn't put back the screw driver I'd been using for the mirror. I panicked! Where had I left it? My first guess was in our bedroom where I'd been working but that was wrong. I hated to admit I left it out because I'm always the one running around accusing everyone else about leaving their toys, socks, cameras, whatever out and not putting them away.

Finally, I had to admit defeat and asked my wife if she'd seen it. She said no but then my daughter piped up with, "I know where it is!" She ran to the drawer on our kitchen where we keep a variety of tools that we might need quickly without running down to the basement where the "good" tools are. She pulled out the screw driver and handed it to me. I was amazed and thanked her profusely. I must have been distracted (or I just wasn't thinking) and mistakenly put my "good" screw driver in the "in case we need them" tool drawer. I think I will buy her a little gift on the way home from work today.