I don’t know exactly when I stopped letting my kids help me with the housework, but between my first and second child I started a new job, moved across town, and things got a little complicated. With my first child there always seemed to be little time and space. We sat on the floor and did many things with the laundry. For example, together we sorted the clothes by color and thus learned to recognize the different shades.
We would go to the grocery store and choose fruits and vegetables together. It was a fun activity besides choosing what to eat. I always waited patiently for her to choose what I had on my list by herself. I was never in a hurry. He was helping me, we were connecting, he was learning a lot of things and yes it was great times.
Now let’s fast forward to now. I’m bored doing all this. That I have no patience for everything I did with my first born daughter. After the arrival of the third child I noticed that the fast pace and daily demands did not allow me to connect with my other children in the same way. But the connection wasn’t the only thing I lost. I noticed that my kids weren’t helping me in a way that I would have liked – for example, chores should be fun, we should do them together, and not just want them to be done so that one more ✔️ check off my list goes.
Housework and children: What are the benefits?
It didn’t take me long to figure out what was going on. Children are created to be members of a society and happy little helpers. And while I let them help here and there when they asked, I confess that I learned to do everything myself to finish an hour earlier. I wanted to declutter so I could have some time to sit, read, play a game, ride a bike, or go for a walk with the kids. But the rush of all these little chores around the house made me lose sight of their importance and why it’s important to do them with the kids and be late.
Somehow, I began to listen to my children and recognize their wishes. One of those wishes was to help around the house. The result was obvious to me and my family and here is what I learned.
I said yes to the kitchen help
My kids wanted to help me in the kitchen. So I made breakfast or dinner with them. But what have I been missing for so long, my god? I didn’t need too much extra time to prepare them… Their help changed me and our whole family. My son now knows how to cut lettuce with his hands, my daughter how to put spoons and forks on the table or serve water.
I said yes to laundry help (again)
I noticed that every time I emptied a washing machine or filled it, my little ones would run around me. They started helping me with the ironing and folding. Now they have learned to fold socks and put them in their drawers.
How kids (and you) benefit from housework
The housework:
- They boost their confidence
- It helps them become autonomous and independent
- They strengthen family bonding
- They help mom’s mental health when she has help from her little ones
mother.ly free translation
