My Battle with the (Water) Bottle

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Having my two adult children living at home for the past few months has been, well, interesting. Where once they were mine to manage, advise, schedule and more or less control, they are now very much their own people. My daughter Katie has a job that she adores and that consumes nearly every waking moment – she is Blackberry available for her position 24/7. My son Adam is a student, and though he has been sidelined by an injury, he’s a member of his community college’s football team. He is doing well in school and is making the decision about where to go to finish his bachelor’s degree. They are both taking care of business, and they are doing it with minimal input from their father and me. We are here to answer questions and give advice, but we try very, very hard not to tell them what to do. Usually we succeed.

Except for the water bottles.

What is it with the water bottles?

Nearly every morning there’s at least one half-empty water bottle – sometimes more – sitting on my coffee table. Mocking me, irritating me. Why such a little thing as a half-empty bottle of Arrowhead should bother me so much I can’t explain…it just does. And it’s not just on the coffee table. The rare visits I make to my kid’s rooms – they are so cluttered and messy most of the time that I avoid them – I always spot two, three, or more half-empty and empty bottles – on the nightstand, on the floor, pretty much anywhere.

Now, I know what you’re going to say, especially those of you that are avidly green and environmentally conscious – which clearly I’m not – you’re going to say “stop buying water bottles.” In theory, that’s a good idea, but the truth is, I like water bottles. I have one with me nearly all the time. When I’m home, I try to always drink water from the Brita, but when I’m out, I take a water bottle with me. I may not be saving the earth, but I do recycle.

(I also keep cases of water bottles in my garage in anticipation of the big earthquake that will hit Southern California sooner or later. When it happens, we won’t go thirsty.)

Why can’t my kids just put the water bottles in the trash? Why aren’t they as concerned as I am about keeping my home neat, clean, and free of pesky empty bottles? Why? Why? I’ve asked them over and over to do this for me, but more often than not they forget. So I go around, emptying the half-empty bottles into my dog Lambeau’s water bowl (he’s very appreciative of the bottled water), and heave a sigh of annoyance.

Can you see how happy Lambeau is?

Look, I know this isn’t a big deal. I know, in the grand scheme of things, my two kids are off the charts in the good kid category – I mean, they let me write about them, don’t they?

I have to try and let go of this obsession with the water bottles. They are both very busy people, and I understand that keeping MY house clean isn’t a priority for them. Most of their mess is kept in their respective bedrooms. It looks like Katie will be moving out fairly soon, so her water bottles will be her problem in her apartment. Adam, I’m quite certain, is never going to care as much as I do about keeping my house clutter-free. He’s got a lot of other things on his mind these days.

So I’m going to simply deal with it. A water bottle or two is no longer going to set me off. No sir.

Now if they would just put away their contact lens cases and solution each morning…