Who's turn is it to clean the kitchen? The bathroom? The family room? Who's turn is it to do the laundry? UGH!!!!! It seems like it is always my turn until I realized and have to keep reminding myself, that it's ok to give chores to our minis. I do not have to be the only person responsible for keeping and maintaining our tidy home. You would think this would be a no brainer but it isn't. My focus for them consists of being great humans, understanding the importance of education and knowledge beyond school and including outdoor adventures. There are many times that I turn off the WiFi to have time for everyone to have a day of uninterrupted reading. And even when they have access to their computers, they are perfectly fine with picking a name, from our stories of our ancestors, to research their significance and investigate how they may have influenced the world. They can recognize Billie Holiday and Nina Simone but struggle to understand the knobs on the washing machine. They can recite speeches from great heros of Africa and other foreign continents, but to ask them to fill the dish washer was completely a new uncharted territory.
I was so busy managing the house and their education that I became overwhelmed with the household chores that seemed to be pilling up quickly with no end in sight. My husband helps when he can but he is on the road a bunch for work so most of the daily day-to-day cleaning is left to me. How can I flip my Superhero cape if it needs to be washed in the next load of laundry?
I began to think about what age did I to begin to wash my own clothes, make my bed, or assisting/being assigned chores? And even reached out to my tribe of women to ask what age did they start implementing the same self-sustaining responsibilities to their minis? I didn't want my children to feel like they are buried under all the chores, homework and just stuff, that they don't get to be children.
However, they have to be taught responsibilities to become productive, effective, compassionate individuals.
So....me being me....I created a chore list. (Don't knock it until you truly have tried it.) Every Saturday morning they each get to pick a popsicle stick, with a chore on it, out of a jar. It could be as simple as "make your bed" or as detailed as "clean the refrigerator". The funny thing is, they actually look forward to picking their activity. I don't know if it's for bragging rights of doing something they actually enjoyed or if its to tease the other siblings that picked a chore that was gross (cleaning the trash cans) but hey, I'll take it either way.
I realize that my super hero powers maybe considered controlling by some but to me its about doing what I need to do with minimum errors. Yeah...yeah...yeah...I know...I have to let go of somethings to help my minis be great men and women.
Now, my children will not only be well-read and highly productive individuals but they will also learn that even the wind has a responsibility to be productive in the world. And I will be a less stressed working mom, with a clean cape, that has time to connect with each child daily.
I was so busy managing the house and their education that I became overwhelmed with the household chores that seemed to be pilling up quickly with no end in sight. My husband helps when he can but he is on the road a bunch for work so most of the daily day-to-day cleaning is left to me. How can I flip my Superhero cape if it needs to be washed in the next load of laundry?
I began to think about what age did I to begin to wash my own clothes, make my bed, or assisting/being assigned chores? And even reached out to my tribe of women to ask what age did they start implementing the same self-sustaining responsibilities to their minis? I didn't want my children to feel like they are buried under all the chores, homework and just stuff, that they don't get to be children.
However, they have to be taught responsibilities to become productive, effective, compassionate individuals.
So....me being me....I created a chore list. (Don't knock it until you truly have tried it.) Every Saturday morning they each get to pick a popsicle stick, with a chore on it, out of a jar. It could be as simple as "make your bed" or as detailed as "clean the refrigerator". The funny thing is, they actually look forward to picking their activity. I don't know if it's for bragging rights of doing something they actually enjoyed or if its to tease the other siblings that picked a chore that was gross (cleaning the trash cans) but hey, I'll take it either way.I realize that my super hero powers maybe considered controlling by some but to me its about doing what I need to do with minimum errors. Yeah...yeah...yeah...I know...I have to let go of somethings to help my minis be great men and women.
Now, my children will not only be well-read and highly productive individuals but they will also learn that even the wind has a responsibility to be productive in the world. And I will be a less stressed working mom, with a clean cape, that has time to connect with each child daily.
