Chores

I always said my kids would have chores as early as possible. I think it's important for kids of both genders to learn to do things like dishes, laundry, making beds, etc. Brian is my dream child. He LOVES chores and has started doing them WAY earlier than I ever could have imagined. He dutifully stands in front of the dryer when I'm doing laundry and takes each piece of clothing (out of the washer) from me, carefully placing each item into the dryer. He enjoys this so much that I actually commented to Shawn that I feel guilty when I do laundry WITHOUT Brian.

Some chores are easier to complete without Brian. When the dishwasher is open he comes running from where ever he is to "help." He doesn't care if the dishes are dirty or not. He wants to empty it all the time. He broke a bowl recently while "helping." No worries, just part of the learning process, right?

And then there is sweeping the floor. We have mostly hard wood flooring, so I use the broom a lot. Brian loves this chore so much, that we bought him a child size broom to use alongside me. Unfortunately, he wacked himself in the eye the first night we had it, so Brian's broom has been hidden for the time being and I now sweep while he naps.

The child will even "help" clean bathrooms. I give him a rag and he "cleans" the base of the sink and toilet. He cracks me up! I remember our niece Renie used to like to help with this chore, too!

The dishes, however, are by FAR Brian's favorite chore. Probably due to the running water and the fact that I let him STAND on a chair when he "helps" with this. (He's usually told to SIT DOWN when on our kitchen chairs.) Here are some pictures of Brian and I washing dishes tonight.




And here is a picture of the melt down we face once the dishes are done.