Last night, I started reading random articles and blog posts about teaching your children to help around the house. I hopped from one story to the next, feeling more lazy and despondent at each one. This essential area of parenting is not my forte. Because it is a lot of work. And they don't do it how I want it done. And somehow, after one session of arguing over how much is enough spray on the mirror and encouraging the little soul to wipe there, and there, and there, and there I look around and while we were doing this one chore, the other two destroyed a room or two.
I know it is important. This is how my kids will learn to take care of themselves, have a clean house when they are grown, be responsible citizens of the community...
I agree. But its a lot of work. (whine)
This morning, after sleep (isn't sleep glorious!!! No one woke us up last night, not even Millie!) I have re-thought the matter.
I was exagerating to myself in the its-worse-when-they-help-ness and in my lack of teaching the kids to clean up. And Tyler is very game to help the kids with a chore or have them help him. We lack the regular, assigned chores, or at least the enforcement of the chart hanging on the fridge (its not cute, yet, so I just ignore it). But the kids sort their own dirty clothes and put them in the hamper (thus the umpteenth diaper went through the washer this morning) and put away their clean clothes if I am patient and give them the chance to do it--they think its fun. They (sometimes) clean up toys (just need someone to get them started). Even Millie can put away a board game so she can get out another. They are always underfoot if I get the vacume out, wanting to vacume, too. And they love to set the table, help with dinner (the few parts that don't involve cutting and heat), and unload the dishwasher--if I have enough foresight to pull out knives and glass items quickly. And then there's the mirrors and sliding glass doors, which usually go finger-printy, splashy and dirty because this chore, with them, just stresses me out, they can't let me do it by myself because this is their favorite chore ever and the clean window lasts about 10 seconds.
I'm not as good at it, this teaching my kids to clean and chores and such, but I'm not as bad as I thought I was last night. I think this is how it usually is when we judge ourselves--really not as bad as we think, with plenty of room for improvement, and time to figure it out.
I think I'll cutify that chore chart right now!
1 comment:
I really like to have control of what the final product looks like so it is hard for me to let the kids do cleaning...but I also have some first hand knowledge of what it is like to live with a person who wasn't really required to do many chores and I want to make sure my kids learn!! A great suggestion my mom gave me (for when your kids are a little bit bigger), make a notecard with the exact things that have to be done in a specific chore and then the kids can take it with them and make sure that everything on the card gets done. I have vague memories of that but she says it works.
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