Early Lessons in Housekeeping

Most people would rather shun housework or have someone else do it for them. Unfortunately, not everyone can afford to hire housekeepers to take care of these tasks. One simply has to accept them as a part of the daily routine and appreciate the rewards of a well kept home. Since parents also expect their kids to be homemakers in the future, it is best to introduce them to housework at an early age. Household chores for kids should be fun and easy to accomplish so that it won’t be perceived as a burden or punishment.

Choose household chores for kids according to the age and capabilities of their child.
Choose household chores for kids according
to the age and capabilities of your child.

Parents should choose household chores for kids according to the age and capabilities of their child. After all, you would want your kids to learn about house work and not burden them with it. Toddlers and pre-school kids can start by learning how to pack away their toys or books after they are done with them. Parents or caregivers can make a game out of it or simply be with the child until the task is done. This can help the child develop a habit of keeping their room or play area clean after every use. Hopefully, they would take this habit with them as they grow old, and parents won’t have to nag their teens about cleaning their rooms.

There are also some tasks where one can incorporate fun and learning. For instance, sorting the laundry can be turned into a play activity that involves a lesson in colors. Kids can name the color of each clothing piece and put them in their corresponding pile. Adults can also show the entire washing process from loading, unloading, drying, and folding to the kids just to give them an idea on how their clothes get clean. However, it is important to warn the kids against operating the washer and dryer on their own. As the kids get older, parents can introduce other tasks like washing dishes, setting the table, sweeping, cooking, etc.

Remember that your primary purpose in assigning household chores for kids is to teach them how to look after themselves and be responsible for their surroundings when they get older. This entails a bit of patience for the homemaker as tasks usually take longer to finish when you are asking kids to do it.

My Little Secret

What is it like to have twins in the house? Well, I’m just curious. My husband showed me the picture of his boss’ twins, a boy and a girl. They are so adorable. I am sure they look cute in their bumbleride indie twin stroller.

When I was still single, I wanted to have twins. But now, I’m thankful that God gave me only one child. RJ and her mess seem to go together…papers everywhere, her dirty clothes in the corner, books on the floor…geez! Oh yeah, I can’t expect her to tidy the room heself. It’s either I do it for her or help her. I can’t imagine if I have twins. Two kids of the same age in the house, that would mean a lot of work for me everyday.

You wouldn’t believe it but since yesterday RJ does not only cleans her room but also helps me with other household chores. She waters my plants, sweeps the ground and sets the table. So, what did I do to make her help me? I’ll share with you my little secret.

RJ saves for the things she wants. Now that it’s summer vacation, she doesn’t have any allowance to save. I told her that I’ll give her allowance or rather incentive this summer if she’ll help me do the chores. I’ll give her 5PHP ($0.12) for every chore and I’m going to pay her at the end of the day. Now, after each task, she asks me what else she can do. Result? A tidy room and a clean house. 🙂

When Mom is Sick

When Mom is sick what happens to the household? When Mom is sick, everything is in chaos. Cold cuts for meals, a mound  of laundry, messy rooms, etc. I am not underestimating Dads when it comes to household chores but let us face it they cannot maintain the household like Moms do.

A flu hit me sometime last week and I had no choice but to take a rest. Though hubby is very good in taking care of me while I am sick, he is not very good in maintaining the house. He can’t cook decent meals so we ended up eating cold cuts. And since he can’t file leave because he still needed to tackle so many things in the office before the year ends, our dirty clothes piled up. He just brought them to the nearby commecial laundry which of course I was not contented with the results. Haiist! These made me got back to regular Mommy life sooner than I should.

As soon as I got back on my feet, I cleaned our 40 square meter house and it took me two days. What if not only flu hit me but something more serious? What would happen to our little house? I think hubby should learn to cook and it is about time to let RJ do some easy chores like washing the dishes.