Jonny Wicks
Making a fort, pillow fights, baking cakes, mud pies in the garden, bedtime stories.
Chances are if you’ve ever had small people to raise/look after, the mere mention of one of the aforementioned activities will instantly take you back to blissful times of family joy, where little Timmy sneezed a bogey into the cake mix and how you laughed as you baked it anyway because the now phlegmy delights were going off to the school bake sale. Or you fondly reflect upon that time you made a pillow fort so extraordinarily epic, that half way through you had to stop the children helping, because ‘they’ll ruin it’.
Into this category of fun family frolics I also add washing the car. You can just picture the scene, a beautiful scorching hot day, the whole family gathered outside with smiles on faces, sponges and brushes in hand, dipping their utensils into the soapy water before playfully flicking foamy lather at Dad, who in kind playfully squirts the hose up in the air, showering Mum and the kids in a light spray, as they squeal in delight and cuddle Dad, everyone ending up in a big wholesome family hug.
It’s basically the car washing scene from Zoolander, but with a much happier ending.
Anyway – it was to this end that last week I decided the car needed a wash, and having a free afternoon with the 3 boys, this would be a fun activity which would generate memories to last a lifetime.
Alas, as you’ll know, beautiful family memories are rarely, successfully, choreographed to such an extent, and therefore almost always disappoint.
It begins whilst filling the buckets of water:
“DAAAAAAD, I want the sponge, where’s the sponge? Do you have the sponge? Harry had it last time, I need it this time, it’s my turn, not Jude, he gets the brush, so where is it? Dad, where’s the sponge, Dad? DAAAAAAD”.
And so, now outside, each has their washing implement of choice, but of course 17.4 seconds later, Jude wants the brush Harry has and Josh is now fed up with his sponge so says it’s his turn to have the cloth. “DAAAAD, I want THAT one”, “HEY THAT’S MINE, DON’T SNATCH! DAAAAD JUDE SNATCHED FROM ME”.
That issue resolved, I’ve now noticed that the sponge has been dropped in the gravel, picked up and is being scraped along the side panel, taking with it a host of tiny pebbles, each one applying a delightful white scratch to my car.
Finally the hose comes out, I playfully spray some water in the air which gently falls on Jude in a light mist “WAAAAAAA Dad, you got me all wet, WAAAAAA”.
Finally the car is rinsed, and I’d say a good 28% of the car has been cleaned. Pure family bliss.
