Chores

 



I helped wash my Mom's car!

Campbell car wash crew.  They tried their best but my car got dirtier...

Very serious Sean vacuuming the kitchen.

 

I've always had challenges in the area of having kids "help" with chores around the house.  Whenever I had them help me previously, it added more work on my part.  In a busy family like mine, efficiency is a key to reduce stress and I just didn't want my kids messing with my to do list.  Well, then there is summer.  Sean is constantly asking "what can I do?" and as I couldn't think of anything to suggest, I said "why don't you vacuum the kitchen?  I will give you a quarter," and waited for his reaction.  To my surprise, he said "yeah, I can do it" and he really did it, complete with getting edges and corners with the wand attachment.  He was so proud of the quarter he earned, he asked for more chores around the house.  I asked him to fold a basket of laundry and showed him how to fold them properly.  He was very careful to fold it as neatly as he could and ended up folding two baskets of laundry.  He earned two quarters for two baskets and in total earned 75 cents. 

When we went to pick up Noah at his therapy, Sean found $1 bill on the ground.  He couldn't believe his luck and now is hooked on looking for money on the ground.  I taught him about not to take the money if it is a lot and that if it is near any businesses, in which case he must turn the money in to either police or the business close by.  He found a penny in our garage when we got back and he thought he was the luckiest kid in the world.  Funny how little things can make a kid very happy.  I am pretty excited that now Sean can do a good job completing some simple chores.  He does it thoroughly like it bothers him if it is not perfect.  I love that about him because I know I can trust him.  I was a sloppy kid and I still am, so I am quite impressed!  He must have gotten that from Mike.  Now that Sean is willing, the girls are also wanting to help me around the house to earn some coins.  They are still young and can't finish the job like Sean, but it's a good start.  In the future, I will have at least three helpers around the house.  That would be fantastic.  That is how I imagined a large family operates.  It's almost there.  Bitter sweet reminder that my kids are getting big.