Thursday, January 27, 2011

Water-Fetching Kids


A couple of weeks ago I got home (back to the condo rental) with a carload of groceries.

I actually got my kids to help me carry stuff up the flight of stairs, multiple trips of *help* at that.

I can't tell y'all how great that felt. For years (6=!) I've been responsible for EVERY SINGLE ITEM THAT NEEDED TO BE TOTED TO AND FROM: the diaper bag, cooler, library books, wet paint artwork, half-consumed drinks, wet towels, sleeping kids, baby carriers, shopping bags, etc. I only have 5 freakin' arms!

They're still kinda small - they can't open the heavy, sticky doors yet. They aren't aware or obedient enough to avoid puddles, ice, and mud before walking into my immaculate house. They aren't trustworthy enough to open car doors (my son, on his Mom's watch, dinged a BMW or something!)....and heck, my daughter can't even unbuckle her car-seat belt completely yet.

Most of y'all have *corporate* BS to deal with (diversity training, boss a$$-kissing, dress standards, contemptible colleagues...), well, this type domestic tedium has been my personal analogue.

Henceforth I'm very much looking forward to only carrying a *fraction* of the groceries in.

And I can't wait until they can make their own beds, do their own laundry, and prepare their own meals!

I know the kids' road to self-sufficiency is brutally long and slow...

BUT I started them early. The following clip of the Prince is from 4.25 years ago:




3 comments:

Beth said...

Funny you mention this... tonight after a mega-shopping trip to get groceries for the month, I conned my 2 daughters - age 10 and almost-8, into carrying a fair portion of the groceries in themselves. In the dark, up the back stairs, in 40 degree weather (cold for us). I got a good charge out of it - and I'll be finding ways to do it more often! :)

CaptiousNut said...

You slave-driver!

Anne Galivan said...

People are generally shocked when I tell them I haven't cleaned my house myself in years...my kids do it.

If you are going to home-school long-term you CANNOT do it unless you teach the kids to do the chores.

Besides home-schooling for over 20 years I have been helping my husband run his contracting business since 1992 and not only do I keep up with business paperwork but I have always done all the family paperwork (bills, insurance, EVERYTHING) since we were married over 29 years ago.

I am principally in charge of the laundry and I do most of the grocery shopping and cooking, but that's about it. I might do the dishes a few times a year. There is no way I can keep up with the responsibilities of home-school, home finances, and the business, not to mention my home-school website begun last May...and also vacuum and clean toilets.

And for the record, the only kids still living at home are those that are full of testestorone meaning I expect my boys to do as much of the cleaning as I ever expected my daughter to do, which was certainly NOT the case when I grew up.

Yes, my sons clean toilets! Imagine that!