I think the kid did a marvelous job of problem solving. He wanted to wash dishes(horrors). Dog was in the way. He’s too short to reach the counter. Stand on the dog. Problem solved. But instead of praise. They want his mother shamed and the child disciplined. What about the dog. Should the dog just not gotten out of the way? (Yes I am kidding about the dog).
I think that the message of getting around mom and turning the obstacle into a useful thing as Trig wants to get the dishes clean was a political metaphor as well.