Laundry Boy

I am big on kid's learning responsibility in our little home - from an early age I really want them to understand that everyone in the family can do their part (no matter how small) to contribute. We are a team and we all pitch in! Alas, this requires much patience and consistency from me!! Which I admit is not always as present as I would like, especially when little hands take so much longer to get the job done. However, I am committed to plugging away and try to look at the ever-ongoing household chores not just as tasks to be done, but as part of our rhythm of our days and it's ok if they sometimes get done in very fragmented and messy sections!

Hopefully the long term benefits will be worth it and just as I am (slowly!) learning that it is a blessing to serve my family by taking care of the home, I want my kids to be part of that too! I try to keep tasks fun, simple and not onerous. Thankfully at this age kids usually love to help out and I figure it's worth capturing this enthusiasm while it's there! Like so much of parenting, I find the kids easily rise to consistent and calm expectations, any lacking usually comes from my own inability to be consistent with them on a day to day basis... ah well, we try, right?!

Eli's first 'chore' is helping distribute the clean laundry to the various rooms of the house (Lily started with this too). His current system is hilarious and I managed to capture it today....

He runs to the bedroom I tell him to take his sweet-little-arms-filled-with-clothes to.... being only 19 months he doesn't always get this right, so I sometimes find a pile of clothes placed thoughtfully on the couch or in the kitchen, but oh well!

Stop for a photo...'Cheeese!'

(Sidenote: the horrendously grubby open wardrobe mirror that is flashing in the background is so streaky because Eli likes to stand in front of it and kiss it/himself. Eeep!)

 Toss the clothes in the door way (as the Laundry Fairy/Mummy later puts them into the drawers)

Run through the house clapping and shrieking 'Good Job!!!! Good Job!!!!' (which sounds like 'Goo Jahhhhhhh!)

With Eli's prowess at the washing line, hopefully it's only a couple more years before I can hand over the entire laundry routine to him?! (Ha!)

Yes, it's a pretty messy and drawn out system, but it turns the ever revolving door of laundry into a fun and active game and hopefully a learning opportunities for the littlies! I want to lay foundations for the gift of service, being an active and contributing member of our family and of course the often-monotonous-but-ever-essential-skills required to run a home.

Babysteps, right??