The Noelting family finally upgraded their couch last week after years of complaining about how filthy the old couch had gotten. “It was really disgusting,” said mother Angi. “I didn’t even want to have guests over. The worst part is, I would clean that thing all the time. But, by the next week, there are crackers, cookie crumbs, wrappers, and all sorts of things in that couch. There were spots I couldn’t get out, some from wine, and all sorts of other liquid spilled there. I couldn’t stand looking at it anymore.” Angi purchased a new couch and put the old one on the side of the street of her Eastbridge home. “It was picked up in last than an hour, which was great,” said Angi. “The new couch wasn’t perfect, but it was much better than that dumpster we had been sitting on. We decided to make some rules with the new couch.”
Angi let the kids know that there would be no more eating on the couch. “I put my foot down,” said Angi. “I did not want the new couch to quickly turn in to the old couch, so we said, ‘that’s it. No more eating on the couch.’ I knew it was going to be hard on the kids during shows and movie time, but small sacrifice to not have a gross couch to sit on.” Angi and her husband remained very strict on the rule for just about six days. “We thought we could let them eat on the couch just once, you know, as long as they were careful,” said Angi. “But, it was a slope slipperier than we thought. Soon after that first time, it was right back to what they were doing on the old couch. And we’re just too goddamn tired to fight it all the time.” Angi would recommend to others that they just keep their dirty couch until the kids are at least in high school. “I mean, what’s the point?” questions Angi. “Sure, I was happy temporarily, but this new couch will become the ‘old couch’ very quickly. At least in high school they will be spending more time out of the house or in their rooms. Live and learn, I guess.”