Kitchen Tip Tuesday

Kids and Chores

We have a chore wheel at our house. One side has dinner chores--Help with dinner, set table, clear table, and help with dishes. The other side has various daily chores, such as clean a bathroom, vacuum a room, sweep a floor, etc. The chores are listed on the outside of the wheel and the kids names are on smaller wheel on each side in the middle of the larger one, held together with a brad, this allows me to turn the wheel so the chores rotate. If you use paper that coordinates with your kitchen, it can end up looking kind of nice on the fridge.

Chores can help your house run more smoothly and teach your kid responsibility. BE PATIENT with the kids, however. Realize up front that they are not going to complete tasks as well as you would. They are younger and less experienced than you. They also will probably take longer than you to complete the chore. When I first started having the kids do chores, I did not tell them they missed a spot, etc. As they have gotten older, I occassionally will add another step or ask them if they think that is how it should look. (If they are being lazy, I do address that-usually by asking them if they did their best.)

Last night, it was "Z's" turn to do the dishes. I had gone upstairs, when I came down, it was apparent that he had enjoyed using the sprayer on the sink A LOT!!! There was about 1/4 inch of water in my utensil holder that is about 18 in. away from the sink, my toaster and stove appeared to have gotten a shower, the cabinet above the sink was dripping with water, the counter had standing water on it and I noticed the pair of socks I had just put on were rather soggy!!! I mopped up the water--at least everything near the sink is now fairly clean from the shower! I did suggest to "Z" that he might want to keep the water turned on low before he uses the water sprayer in the future, but I really am grateful he did the dishes without complaining. He actually seemed to enjoy himself. :o) Oh, yeah, the front of him seemed to have gotten a shower too.

Another thing I've started doing, due to the rapid way that dish soap was disappearing, I keep an old bottle and add water half way up, then add dish soap the rest of the way up. If you add the water first, it decreases the sudsing! You can also get a pump type dispenser to help decrease how much soap they use.

I've been trying to remember the poem (couldn't find it) that goes something like this:

Be thankful for the dirty dishes, for you have food to eat.

Be thankful for the dirty clothes for you have clothes to wear.

Be thankful for the toys strewn about for you have children to fill your home, etc.

Looking for a way to be thankful for a mess/chore makes the chore much less burdensome and you may even find yourself smiling while you do it. :o)