MARK MY WORD: IN THE LAND OF CHILDREN, IT'S TOUGH TO BE NEAT

In the land of children, it's tough to be neat.

In life, there isn't a "10-second tidy" like that shown on "The Big Comfy Couch" video tapes.

Too bad, I could have used such a thing Saturday.

I came home for lunch only to find my daughters dipping their spoons into gooey, colored icing and pouring it onto sugar cookies shaped like stars, pumpkins and apples.

Daughters Becca and Bailey made about two dozen cookies. Spread out on the table were yellow ones, blue ones, orange ones, red ones and pink ones.

At one and half years of age, Bailey was the messiest. Her hands and face were covered in icing.

Becca, who is 5, viewed the whole scene with great delight. When you're the older sister, it's fun to watch your kid sister make a mess.

Joni took it all in stride. After all, she was the one who put this whole colorful cooking climate into motion.

I was amazed by the mess. Even by kid standards, it was monumental.

"Memories are not always neat," Joni advised. "Sometimes they are messy and you get flour all over the ceiling."

Actually, I didn't spot any flour on the ceiling. I did, however, see plenty of it on Bailey.

She missed the "flower-child" 60s. But she was right at home as the "flour child" of the 90s.

"I'll do it," said Bailey as she dripped icing all over the place.

I tried to help, but Bailey pushed me aside. I clearly was too neat for this line of work.

I managed to get Bailey cleaned up with the help of wet paper towels. But I would have been better served with a power washer.

Joni served tomato soup for lunch. For Bailey, it was another opportunity to make a mess. She made the most of it.

"Don't wear your food, eat it," Joni told Bailey. But the advice seemed lost on her.

She continued to spill soup all over herself. Every now and then, she would look across the table at me and smile.

When you're in a messy mode, it's hard to stop. Besides, at her age, kids make a whole career of making a mess.

It's too bad Loonette the Clown doesn't make house calls.

Instead, she's permanently stuck inside our TV set as we watch "The Big Comfy Couch" videos over and over again.

We have four of the children's tapes. They're all Bailey wants to watch.

"Humfy Couch," she demands repeatedly. She has even taken to inserting the video tapes into the VCR herself.

Becca is tired of having to watch the same tapes over and over again.

She forgets that she did the same thing a few years ago. Only with Becca, it was a purple dinosaur that attracted her attention.

The dinosaur is virtually extinct in our house.

Bailey prefers Major Bedhead, Granny Garbanzo, Molly and the other clown characters of "Comfy Couch."

Even two lovable dust bunnies have a role in these productions.

But, for parents, the couch is the real hit. It's big enough to hold anything and everything.

As parents, you crave such a practical piece of furniture.

If only I had a "Comfy Couch," cleaning up would be a breeze.

There would be plenty of room for all those cookie crumbs, not to mention whole bowls of sugary icing.

But then I would miss all those messy moments.

~Mark Bliss is a staff writer for the Southeast Missourian.