"Do you need this light on?"

is one of my daddy's favorite questions. Those kinds of reminders are just part of my daddy's personality. In my family, my daddy is famous for his "Dad Lectures." All four of the kids in my family have grown up hearing them. They are not the kind of lectures you get when you misbehave. Or the kind of lectures you get when you're in trouble. These are different. They mostly involve specific ways to accomplish things (how to load the dishwasher properly, how to get out of the shower without getting the carpet wet, how to wipe the table without getting crumbs on the floor, how to snake the toilet without making a mess) OR little tidbits of information that occur to my daddy that the kids just never seem to remember (clean off the top of the syrup and ketchup before you put it back in the fridge, don't leave wet towels on the floor and take your shoes off before you step on the carpet.) For as many times as we have heard these lectures, it often becomes evident to my daddy that we need to hear them again.

"Everyone gather around please. When you put the cutting board the the dishwasher like this, these can't spin and then the dishes won't get clean."

"We know dad"

"Oh, I am glad you know. I just thought you might need a little reminder."

There is never any blaming or anger. Just simple reminders. By now, we all think these lectures are funny and eagerly gather around and laugh.

However this was not the case one fateful evening in July.

We were preparing for an important house guest. Everyone had their assignments and was working away. My mom asked Mika Man to clean the upstairs bathroom.

"Ok, " he happily replied as he walked away to begin.

"Oh and make sure you clean the shower" my mom called to him.

"I don't know how Mom." he hollered back. That was the worst thing he could have said. What he got from that statement was a two hour cleaning session/lesson with my dad, which I am sure was a bit more than he bargained for when he agreed to clean the bathroom. My mom sent my dad upstairs to teach Mika Man how to clean the shower. On his way up, he announced "Leena Lou why don't you come up. You probably need the lesson too."

My mom and I were smart enough to stay downstairs and continue cleaning. A while later, my mom and I were discussing that they had been up there an awfully long time and at that exact moment my phone rang. It was a text from my sister. I opened the text and it said "SAVE ME!!!!!" My mom and I squealed with delight. Mostly because we were glad our presence wasn't required at this particular "Dad Lecture." As I cautiously ran upstairs, the air was ripe with various cleaning supplies. And what I found was hilarious.
Leena Lou, kneeling on the granite counter top scrubbing the mirror frame with a toothbrush.
And Mika Man, (after a wardrobe change into his bathing suit) sitting in the bathtub receiving just what he wished upon himself. His shower cleaning lesson. This lesson had gone far far past just shower cleaning. Next they cleaned all the windows and all the screens in the entire upstairs. They scrubbed the hairspray off the walls. They cleaned the heater vent. They scrubbed the cabinets. They cleaned the entire bathroom top to bottom.
And my guess is that Mika Man and Leena Lou will remember this lecture for a long time.

Other wise my daddy might feel the need to give a little refresher....