Of course, this isn't a novel idea and most of you probably do it already. But for some reason, I had a hard time making the transition from seeing my kids as babies that needed my constant care to recognizing they were old enough to do things for themselves. Plus, I often avoided having them "help" me with household tasks because I knew it would take longer than just doing it myself . . . losing sight of the "long term gain" that they'd someday be able to do it without me.
At a friend's recommendation, I moved all their plates and cups to a lower cabinet, and now they are responsible for putting away their own dishes (plus all silverware, pots, pans and bowls) from the dishwasher. Who knew they would enjoy that??? They are also "rotating" the laundry and helping to fold and put away their own clothes plus the napkins and tablecloths. Finally, we've implemented a great system for making sure all their belongings are put away each night - having a clutter-free house and seeing their clean rooms (and a neat classroom!) each morning when we wake up always gets my day off to a great start.
For now, we're still in the learning process and they need a bit of supervision. But I can definitely see the light at the end of the tunnel and even now - every once in a while at least - it actually feels like "help".
yay!!!! I love it!!!
ReplyDeleteChores and "housekeeping" are things that we incorporate into our homeschool too. I feel its important to develop our whole selves during childhood "learning years" and create people that are capable of more than writing sufficient book reports. It does no good, in my opinion, to send teenagers into the world that can recite dates and pinpoint place but cannot wash a dish or a load of laundry.
ReplyDeleteYay . . . says the friend who made the recommendation. Wish your website was up so I could have linked to you! :)
ReplyDeleteCrystal, I totally agree! We want to kids to grow up competent in all areas they'll need to be well-prepared for life. Academics are only part of that.