It was late one afternoon and Mother finished pulling weeds.
She was working in the garden and was going to plant new seeds.
"I can't wait to plant these flowers," she said with a smile.
But after working out in the sun she needed to rest a while.
"Oh dear, I'm so exhausted," she said with a sigh.
"Those boys are awfully quiet," and she went to find out why.
She walked into their bedroom to see them playing well.
But their room was such a mess that Mother almost fell.
"Oh, my goodness!" she exclaimed. "I can't even walk in here!"
"You need to clean this room at once!" She made it very clear.
"When I come back to check on you I want to see the floor."
"I'll be back in a little while." And then she closed the door.
They took a look around the room as they sat up on their beds.
"I guess we better clean it up" little Teddy said.
"This room is way too messy," Tommy was feeling sad.
"We'll never get it all picked up and Mother will be mad."
"I'm not going to clean this mess. There's just too much to do."
"And if Mother comes to see it messy there's nothing she will do."
"She'll just help us clean it up so we can wait til then."
"She used to do it all the time and I'm sure she will again."
A few more minutes went by and Mother said from her room
"I hope you're cleaning up because I'm coming to check real soon."
Teddy got a little scared because they haven't tried.
They remebered she wanted to see the floor so they pushed it all aside.
The boys could hear her down the hall. "She's coming!" Teddy said.
She peaked into the doorway to see them sitting on their beds.
"I thought I said to clean this room and look what I have found."
"It now looks like a bigger mess! You only pushed it around!"
"But you said you wanted to see the floor so we thought that we were done."
"See, now we have a little more room to play and have more fun."
"Well, I guess you don't want to keep your toys so I'll give them all away."
"I'll give them all to other kids, now what do you have to say?"
"But mom, there's just too much for us! It will take all night!"
"Won't you help us?" Tommy said. "You can clean it, right?"
"You know it's not my mess in here," Mother said with a tone.
"You should have started cleaning when I left you two alone."
Mother was getting mad and said, "I'll do this all MY way."
"And you two boys will be upset with no more toys to play."
Mother told the boys a story about when she was small.
"My mother told me to clean my room and I wouldn't clean at all."
"So she simply came in to help me out but she put it in a bag!"
"She gave my toys to charity and that made me really sad."
"You boys should feel so lucky that you have these toys, you see?"
"Not every child has toys to own and enjoy like you and me."
So she gave the boys another chance to do what's right and clean.
"And when I come back I hope to see it the cleanest I've ever seen."
When Mother left they wondered if the things she said were true.
"I wouldn't like to lose my toys so I know what to do."
Tommy told Teddy the plan he had and they cleaned 'til they were done.
And when mom came in she saw a pile and said "You still have some."
She pointed to the toys she saw in the corner by the bed.
"Those are the toys we don't play with," Tommy and Teddy said.
"We thought about it and we woldn't like not having any toys."
"So we decided to give those ones to other girls and boys."
"We're sorry we didn't clean it up the first time you came in."
"But we promise to try to keep it clean," the boys said with a grin.
She was working in the garden and was going to plant new seeds.
"I can't wait to plant these flowers," she said with a smile.
But after working out in the sun she needed to rest a while.
"Oh dear, I'm so exhausted," she said with a sigh.
"Those boys are awfully quiet," and she went to find out why.
She walked into their bedroom to see them playing well.
But their room was such a mess that Mother almost fell.
"Oh, my goodness!" she exclaimed. "I can't even walk in here!"
"You need to clean this room at once!" She made it very clear.
"When I come back to check on you I want to see the floor."
"I'll be back in a little while." And then she closed the door.
They took a look around the room as they sat up on their beds.
"I guess we better clean it up" little Teddy said.
"This room is way too messy," Tommy was feeling sad.
"We'll never get it all picked up and Mother will be mad."
"I'm not going to clean this mess. There's just too much to do."
"And if Mother comes to see it messy there's nothing she will do."
"She'll just help us clean it up so we can wait til then."
"She used to do it all the time and I'm sure she will again."
A few more minutes went by and Mother said from her room
"I hope you're cleaning up because I'm coming to check real soon."
Teddy got a little scared because they haven't tried.
They remebered she wanted to see the floor so they pushed it all aside.
The boys could hear her down the hall. "She's coming!" Teddy said.
She peaked into the doorway to see them sitting on their beds.
"I thought I said to clean this room and look what I have found."
"It now looks like a bigger mess! You only pushed it around!"
"But you said you wanted to see the floor so we thought that we were done."
"See, now we have a little more room to play and have more fun."
"Well, I guess you don't want to keep your toys so I'll give them all away."
"I'll give them all to other kids, now what do you have to say?"
"But mom, there's just too much for us! It will take all night!"
"Won't you help us?" Tommy said. "You can clean it, right?"
"You know it's not my mess in here," Mother said with a tone.
"You should have started cleaning when I left you two alone."
Mother was getting mad and said, "I'll do this all MY way."
"And you two boys will be upset with no more toys to play."
Mother told the boys a story about when she was small.
"My mother told me to clean my room and I wouldn't clean at all."
"So she simply came in to help me out but she put it in a bag!"
"She gave my toys to charity and that made me really sad."
"You boys should feel so lucky that you have these toys, you see?"
"Not every child has toys to own and enjoy like you and me."
So she gave the boys another chance to do what's right and clean.
"And when I come back I hope to see it the cleanest I've ever seen."
When Mother left they wondered if the things she said were true.
"I wouldn't like to lose my toys so I know what to do."
Tommy told Teddy the plan he had and they cleaned 'til they were done.
And when mom came in she saw a pile and said "You still have some."
She pointed to the toys she saw in the corner by the bed.
"Those are the toys we don't play with," Tommy and Teddy said.
"We thought about it and we woldn't like not having any toys."
"So we decided to give those ones to other girls and boys."
"We're sorry we didn't clean it up the first time you came in."
"But we promise to try to keep it clean," the boys said with a grin.
