Written by Rowonna McNeely – Aaron is an amazing dad but we both have our strengths and weaknesses when it comes to raising Kiera. For example, if Kiera falls back asleep in the morning after she has been woken up, he is the one who can get her out of bed and get her to smile. If I try, she will get out of bed but she will be whining and pouting on the way to the bathroom.She loves to wrestle with him. Several times a week, you can find them in the floor, wrestling and laughing. At some point, Aaron has to call “Uncle.” Usually, it’s after she gets a knee in his ribs…or other area.
Kiera loves spending time with her Daddy and he never hesitates to drop what he is doing to spend time with her. He never bats an eye at playing dolls, painting her toenails, or watching a Barbie movie.
One of my all-time favorite memories of them is when Aaron was sitting in his recliner watching television. Kiera had climbed up behind him and was sitting on the back of the recliner. She had a snack in one hand and fixed his hair with the other.
Monday night though, one of his weaknesses appeared. He forgot the cardinal rule of throwing away Kiera’s schoolwork. I know a lot of you know the rule, if you don’t let me fill you in.
If at anytime, you throw something away that was your child’s, whether it be an old, busted toy, school paper, a leaflet that came in a toy package…basically anything that is not yours…you bury it in the trash. This is a very important rule.
We keep some of Kiera’s schoolwork and put it in a folder for when she gets older. I don’t keep all her work… and don’t you dare tell her I said that. If it is something she is especially proud of or we are impressed with, it goes into the folder. If not, then I keep it on the counter to throw in the trash when she is not around.
Once I make sure she is not around, I throw it in the trash and cover it with junk mail or other trash.
Now, back to Aaron’s moment of weakness. Apparently, Sunday night he took the trash out. Monday morning, he was cleaning out Kiera’s backpack and folder and threw her papers away…WITHOUT burying them. Granted, there was no other trash in the trash can, but…
When we arrived home Monday afternoon, Kiera went into the kitchen to throw away her trash. Aaron followed her in the kitchen to let the dogs in. As I set my purse down, I heard Kiera bellow, “DADDY!”
I quickly turned to the kitchen. It was then I saw Kiera shuffling through pieces of paper. She held them up in the air as she faced Aaron and questioned him in a loud voice. “You threw my papers away?”
She didn’t give him time to answer as she asked him again, “You THREW my papers away?”
I quietly stood in the kitchen doorway, watching the scene play out in front of me.
Kiera whirled around and set her papers on the counter in disgust. “I can’t believe you threw my papers away!”
She whirled back to face her Dad. “That is math! Do you know how hard I worked on that?”
Not waiting for an answer, she walked out of the kitchen “I just can’t believe you threw my papers away.”
I watched in amusement as she walked in her room, shaking her head. She huffed and said, “I’m just so mad!”
I followed Aaron into the bedroom, barely containing my laughter. I waited until I had closed the door before giggling at the disgruntled look on his face.
“Why didn’t you cover them up?” I asked between laughing.
“The trash was empty! What was I supposed to cover them with?” He demanded.
The moral of our story…? Let Mommy handle the trash.
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Rowonna McNeely
Graphic Designer - Mommy to Kiera
Rowonna McNeely works with her husband, Aaron, at Willie’s T’s in the Art Department, regularly volunteers in the community, and has her hands full with her daughter, Kiera, along with two dogs and one cat.
Rowonna is a graduate of May High School (Go Tigers!) and grew up on a dairy farm. She enjoys reading, creating, swimming, and planning events. She’s also a bit of a klutz.
