Right At Home

I was scrubbing the floor today, the way my mother taught me. I use a scrub brush to get the floor clean, and then wipe up the water with a rag. I have been blessed in the past to have cleaning help but our cleaning lady has taken a break for the last year or so.

I have to admit, I liked it when someone else was doing the cleaning. I enjoyed the extra time that gave me to do other things. But, I like taking care of my house and this summer I decided to engage our kids in the process. I want to teach them how to care for a home and what it takes to make our household run. When they ask me why they have to do so much, I tell them that they have it good. The pioneer kids had to work all of the time. I want to raise strong, smart, healthy kids that are not afraid to get their hands dirty. I also understand that they may not have the financial resources to out-source the cleaning when they are adults. I want to teach them traditional values and the proper way to clean, as my mom taught me. That all sounds great, but is a lot of work I'll tell you.

Today, as I was going through the scrubbing motion that is so conducive to thinking, I re-played the past couple of months of our summer “chores” project in my mind. We use 3x5" cards to keep track of who does what. Each kid has a card with their name on top and a list of their on-going, do every day chores along with additional daily tasks. In the beginning, it was painful for all of us! My expectations were high (probably too high) and I needed to coach them through every step of every task. I had to watch and correct every every single thing they did. It took more than double the time (and energy) it would have taken me to do it all myself. The teaching, watching, and following up was a real challenge.

2 months into the "chores" project, however, it’s much different. They have really taken on the challenge and stepped up to the tasks. Today, my kids did their jobs independently and pretty well! I actually heard my 6 year old say to his big brother, "next summer, Mom says I get to do your job of watering the garden" with pride.

My original goal of teaching them how to take care of our house and how not to be afraid of manual labor has been accomplished. My 10 year old is cleaning the bathroom; my 8 year old son is responsible for the toilets; my 6 year old makes his bed. Would we all rather go to the pool during the short Minnesota summer, you bet! But, somehow, we have been able to stick with it and I am proud of what my kids have accomplished and what they have taught me. I have re-learned the value in slowing down and taking the time to teach and do things right versus get the huge list accomplished. In the long run, slowing down and taking the time gives me more satisfaction and better prepares my kids for the path ahead. I really hope that we can keep it up when they go back to school in September.

I challenge you to think of one traditional practice to focus on for the rest of summer. Don’t be tempted to take on too much. Pick one or two things to teach each child. It can be chores, bringing back an old traditions like cooking out every Saturday night or playing games on Tuesdays, or bring out some old recipes from your grandmother. Doing this may give you all something to remember from the summer, and move your kids one step closer to independence.