Little Helping Hands
I have come to the conclusion that there are two ways you can deal with housework once you have young kids.
Option A – do the housework when the kids are asleep. On the positive side, your house will be really clean. On the negative, you’ll be cleaning til 2 in the morning and the kids will probably wake you again at 6.
Option B – let the kids help. On the positive side, you can relax at the end of the day, and your kids will learn valuable skills. On the negative, the cleaning might not be done to your standard.
I tend to go for Option B. I figure that I’ll benefit in the long run, and no one expects a house with a baby and a toddler to be immaculate anyway. Some jobs my daughter and I do together (like wiping over furniture), some she watches me do (like scrubbing the bath), and some she does all by herself. We have a split level home with lots of glass balustrading. Cleaning the glass is one of Little Miss 3′s special jobs. After all, she is responsible for most of the sticky finger prints in the first place! To her it’s not a chore. It’s an opportunity to step up to a task, be trusted to complete it, and be proud of her efforts. The glass isn’t spotless, but I think that’s a small price to pay.
Do you let your young kids help with cleaning? Which jobs do you encourage them (or expect them) to do?
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Zoe loves to wash the car. She will help move everything out of the way when we vac/mop. She loves to dust with the spinning duster. she sorts socks, puts hers and her brothers washing away. She tidies up the shoes on the shoe rack, pretty much anything that does not involve harsh chemicals, is to heavy or sharp she will have a go at. Lately she loves setting the table for lunch out the back. ( we eat dinner for lunch, much easier)We have a bbq/picnic most days. If I give her a cup with a handle and a facecloth she will wash away for quite some time in the play room. and anything on the way.
My son and I do the cleaning together, he loves vacuuming and dusting and wiping the table/kitchen bench. It’d be nice if he liked tidying up toys though!
I am def an Option B Mum. Jobs my children do:
Miss 8
* empty and stack the dishwasher
* set table
* Fold washing and put into piles
* put her own washing away
* clean room
* make bed
* wipe glass table
* vacuum
* pack up toys
* play with Master 2
Miss 6
* stack dishwasher
* clear up after dinner
* put own washing away
* clean room
* make bed
* make the bathroom neat
* pack up toys
* Play with Miss 3
Miss 3
* take washing pile to her room
* pack up toys
* take plate to sink after dinner
Master 2
* pack up toys
I have definately had to lower my standards since I have had children, but I think it has helped me to see what is really important in relation to housework.
I’m definitely an Option B Mum too, otherwise nothing would get done. I’ve also had to lower my standards when it comes to having a spotless (or not so much) house. The kids both take turns setting the table and cleaning up after dinner. They love to clean windows, walls and floors, the bathroom etc. My son, weirdly, loves cleaning the toilet! They don’t like vaccuuming, but they will sweep with a dustpan and brush. Missy also likes to help fold towels, and hand-washing any dishes that need to be done. I think it teaches them responsibility and that a family has to work together to get things done – also that it’s not just Mum’s ‘work’.
I am a mixture of the two! The kids help me during the day – and they even have kid size tools to help – including a mini vacuum cleaner and broom. But I still get to the end of the day, when the kids are tucked in bed, and I survey the house in dismay…it’s just not the way I like it. I can’t help myself and I clean up some more. I find that I can go to bed feeling more relaxed when it’s cleaned the way I like it… Having said that, my house is still no where near immaculate!!
I did say I TEND to go for Option B. You can guarantee I’ll be doing some extra cleaning in the evening if I have visitors coming the next day! LOL
At 17 months Immy loves helping (let’s hope it lasts). She;
- helps put away the washing by putting the tea towels and the facewashers we use at meal times in the kitchen drawer
- helps put away the dishes by putting her plastic bowls and containers and lids in the cupboard, even stacking the bowls
- helps put away the shopping, putting everything on the pantry shelf that she can reach, I let her and sort it out later as I would rather encourage her to help than tell her she is not putting things in the right place
- oh, and she LOVES the vacuum, the dustpan and brush and the broom!
Christie
http://childhood101.blogspot.com/
I love it when my girls (almost 4 & 18mths) like to help me clean the house! I give them cleaning cloths & they are great at rubbing in the polish! Little Miss almost 4 has just started to want to use the vaccum cleaner so that takes a bit longer, while Miss 18mths has discovered the toilet brush!!?!?!!
Good advice. I remember being in charge of rinsing dishes when I was really little. These days I guess we have newfangled machines to take care of that for us, but it was an important job.
Wanting to build option B into our lives. We currently are encouraging our daughter to put away her laundry (if she’s on a roll she will also help with other family members), to help clean up toys before bed, she takes her plate to the sink after meals, and has recently asked to help wash dishes (only the non-breakable, non-sharp stuff). We’re already working on teaching the babies to clean up toys…I don’t want them to feel like they have too many chores, but it is encouraging to me that I won’t forever be cleaning up after them all the time.
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