We have been learning responsibility and doing work jobs to earn up prizes on our charts this week. It is SO much more work than just doing it myself. I know I, and they, will thank me in the long run but goodness gracious. When they carry the dishes over from the table we end up scrubbing the carpet due to spilled food. When we vacuum the floor I need to repair the vacuum. When they load the dishwasher I get to reload it (when they're not looking so as not to decrease their morale.) When they start the dishwasher we get to wipe up soap. When we put away laundry I get to repair the drawers that they jammed. I'm exhausted!
Then there are the different outlooks on work jobs in our house. Fletcher and Brighton are very focused on prizes. From the moment they wake up until they go to bed it is incessant, "Mom, can I have a job? Can I have a job? Can I have a job?" Ben on the other hand says, "Fletch earn something good so we can play with it. I'll do my jobs tomorrow."
This is what the assignment of setting the table resulted in. I just don't know if I have the energy to chase them around and make them set 6 places only and put the other 55 items away properly. I might cheat and do it myself:) Must run, someone's asking for a job.
PS Edited to add. A knife was just confiscated that was being used to saw the top tray of the dishwasher whilst "unloading" it and I can't walk in the kitchen from all the laundry being "put away." Do we keep clothes in the pantry?
7 comments:
You are funny Tessa! You've inspired me. . . I think I'll send mine to your house to learn all that good stuff.
I just read this and laughed so hard that Mom thought I was having a seizure. She read it and now she is having a laughing fit seizure as well!!!
What a good mom! The easy way would be to do it your self, but you are choosing to teach.
I have to admit I was laughing really hard too when I read this.
Tessa, I love it!! I feel the same way. Where to find the balance between teaching children responsibility and the value of hard work AND keeping yourself sane?? Here's a gem from Flylady: "Housework done incorrectly still blesses your family." It will pay off in the end! Hope the future is a little less exhausting for you!
You can now understand why I finally purchased an industrial strength vacume when you guys were pretty little. The guy at the vacume place questioned me when I said I needed a vacume that can suck up socks, lego, and other toys without breaking. He looked and me and said, Well, don't you think that you would notice the socks and toys and avoid them? Now he doesn't know much about little kids helping does he? Hee! Hee!
ha, true that! Benjamin is a crazy good worker, but I have yet to find it in me to instill any of those skill in J...
haha!!! that Ben, clever dude. ;)
I agree, it's so much more work to let/make the little ones help, but I can see that it does make a difference. I remember I was inspired by Brighton making her bed that I started teaching my kids.
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