“This morning is housework morning,” I declared (somewhat reluctantly, I admit, but it has to be done sometime). Pearl promptly disappeared into her bedroom – I had expected no less. Fainjin looked interested and said, “Can I help?”
Who in their right mind would turn down an offer like that?
He dried all the dishes first (this is one of his regular jobs). He carried all the chairs out of the kitchen, and helped me move the table. He vacuumed the kitchen, then watched with interest as I “finished it off”. Then we got the bucket and mop, and I demonstrated how to wash the floor. He washed the rest of the floor, and I mopped up the water afterwards.
Then we moved to the bathroom. I cleaned the shower, with his running commentary and suggestions. He helped me clean the basin, and pointed out smears on the mirror for me to clean (he couldn’t reach). Then I cleaned the basin in the loo, while he scrubbed the toilet bowl. He vacuumed the bathroom while I finished cleaning the loo, then he washed the floors in both rooms as well.
I hadn’t expected his interest to last the distance! He did a good job, too. I daren’t hope that he will become my constant cleaning companion – and eventually take over completely – but wouldn’t it be loverly?
When we’d finished, I carried the chairs back into the kitchen and we sat down for a cuppa (hot chocolate in his case) and a well-deserved chocolate bikkie. Pearl emerged with a page of mathematics she had undertaken on her own initiative (perhaps out of guilt for dodging the cleaning), and spent the next hour or so writing the start of what might turn into quite a substantial fairy story.
We’ll do more holiday-ish things tomorrow.
© UpsideBackwards 2012.
Tags: children, cleaning, housework, parenting, school holidays
UpsideBackwards 
July 12, 2012 at 11:53 am |
L started doing that stuff at age 7…I, like you didn’t expect it to last. He is almost 9 1/2 now and still doing it. He has also, on occasion, informed me that I don’t do as good a job on the washroom as he does. 🙂
July 12, 2012 at 5:30 pm |
That is the best thing I have heard all week, and has turned me into a happy optimist. Thanks! 😀 Oh, and if it doesn’t work out with Fainjin doing the cleaning, do you think you could send L over here every so often?
July 13, 2012 at 12:48 am
That would be up to him….I have a feeling he might say no. I think the big reason L does it here is because I’m always pushing self responsibility and he knows that the messes here are partly due to him….
If you offer to pay him he may jump on it though!
😉