Dirty Dishes

Life with a family is full of dirty dishes. Like most families we load the dishwasher, turn it on and then unload it the next day. Unless the dishwasher is broken. Like it is right now.

When the repairman came yesterday he told me our Maytag Quiet Series is a terrible dishwasher and that every day he gets a call for a broken control panel for this model. This particular dishwasher was one of only two machines that fit into the available space. The other was out of our price range. We were stuck. Go without or buy this one.

Growing up we had a dishwasher until I was about eight. Then my mother decided the dishwasher was broken more often than it worked and she could do without one. We washed all the dishes by hand. I thought this was crazy, insane. Everyone had a dishwasher! We were living in the 19th century! I couldn't wait to be a grown up and have a dishwasher like everyone else. I waited a long time. My first rental with a dishwasher came when I was thirty-three.  It wasn't very exciting.

Last night as I was finishing washing the dishes Caroline exclaimed: "Ooh! I love washing dishes! Can I wash some?" When did I ever say that to my mother? Dirty dishes were never a draw for me.

The power of the modern day dishwasher: inspiring a love of hands-on dish washing.

The dishwasher won't be fixed for another two weeks. It needs two new parts. For the next few weeks I'll sit back and relax while Caroline has fun washing the dishes.

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