Saturday, March 16, 2013

Teamwork

Saturday mornings at our house are spent doing chores.  The kids are responsible for tidying up, cleaning the bathrooms, vacuuming, dusting, and mopping the kitchen floor.  I supervise and take care of whatever is left, which often feels like more work than actually doing all of the cleaning.  I’m sure it isn’t, but the supervision aspect can be frustrating.  I know that teaching the children to do these things and to be responsible is important, so I keep at it, showing them the same things repeatedly.  Maybe someday they will all hang their coats on their hooks instead of dropping them on the floor directly in front of the hook.  Maybe the bathroom will really look clean when they’re done cleaning it.  Maybe they’ll even surprise me by doing it without being asked.

As the kids were doing their jobs today, they were almost fighting about who got to have Emma, who is two years old, as their helper.  Emma “helped” Lana clean a bathroom and Everett wash the kitchen floor.  I'm glad these kids love their sister.  I wish I had their morning attitude all the time.  Even though Emma wasn't making things any easier for them, they were happy to have her with them and very patient with her.  They let her sweet spirit make their burden lighter instead of heavier.  They were more cheerful, even when I asked them to go back and correct something they had missed.  Emma was soaked and happy when all the cleaning was done.

I am thankful for all my little helpers and what I learn from them.

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