Lessons learned from "Diary of Wimply Kid"

Tonight I rediscovered the power of the written word...along with the printed picture. If you have never read any of the book series "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" and want a good laugh, I would recommend these books. They are written in first person in the form of diary entries from the perspective of a kid named Greg who is low on the totum pole in school and at home. They are written and illustrated with a lot of humor. They are very popular with kids in elementary school through middle school and both my boys think they are great. Now, normally, Sam is my kid who usually doesn't leave his clothes on the floor. He will actually put them away in his dresser or in the laundry basket. Tonight, however, I walk into his room to tell him good night and there are several items of clothing on the floor. I have noticed this the past couple of days but haven't said anything thinking it will get done because, this is Sam. When I ask him about why his clothes are still on the floor, he grabs his "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" book and says he needs to explain something to me. You know how you can read the same book of scripture and something will jump out at you that you have read before but haven't really noticed? Apparently, this works with other books, too. Sam opened to a page that has Greg explaining a Christmas gift he got from his Uncle Charlie. It goes as follows.

When I unwrapped Uncle Charlie's gift, I didn't even know what it was supposed to be. It was this big plastic ring with a net attatched to it. Uncle Charlie explained that it was a "Laundry Hoop" for my bedroom. He said I was supposed to hang the Laundry Hoop on the back of my door and it would make putting away my dirty clothes "fun." (Insert a picture of Uncle Charlie imagining Greg having "fun" putting his clothes in the hoop by tossing them like basketballs. In reality, Greg looks like he doesn't know what to think.)
At first, I thought it was a joke, but then I realized Uncle Charlie was serious. So I had to explain to him that I don't actually DO my own laundry. I told him I just throw my dirty clothes on the floor, and Mom picks them up and takes them downstairs to the laundry room. (Insert a picture of Greg's mom picking up his clothes.) Then a few days later, everything comes back to me in nice, folded piles. I told Uncle Charlie he should just return the Laundry Hoop and give me cash so I could buy something I'd actually USE.

This is the idea Sam decides to take from his book. He is trying to see if he leaves his clothes on his floor long enough, will HIS mom pick them up, take them downstairs and bring them back in nice, folded piles. I explained to him that he is not Greg and I am not Greg's mom and if he doesn't put his laundry in his laundry basket, take it downstairs and sort it, just like always, then his laundry will not get done. His response, "Oh, rats." Then he got up and picked his clothes off the floor. Some went into his dresser and some went into......the laundry basket.