Good-bye Mr. Nobody

Lurking in our house is a grim, relentless creature. He is elusive, but I can track his tricky trail with my carefully trained eye. This disgusting creature has the gall to eat an entire box of doughnuts in one night. He can devour a gallon of milk, leaving none for breakfast. He tracks mud onto fleshly mopped floors and leaves toys and clothing strewn throughout the house. He hides coats, shoes, and even homework. Who is this abominable alien? Mr. Nobody.

I was tired of Mr. Nobody and the tension he created in our home, so I decided to try something new. I invented Mr. Everybody. Since Mr. Nobody was leaving the toys out, Mr. Everybody would pick them up. Instead of demanding to know who left the mess, I had Mr. Everybody help clean it up.

It took the children a few days to catch the spirit of Mr. Everybody. But once they realized that I was no longer trying to place blame, we were able to resolve many minor problems. Now that Everybody pitches in to help, we have much more cooperation and unity in our family.—Velda Gilbert McDonald, Sandy, Utah