Listen, I know we love our little munchkins, but I just cringe when I see the majority of parents around me doing things for their kids that the kids are easily able (or easily trainable) to do themselves. So let's discuss, shall we?
The Smart Mama's New Year's Resolution Guide
1. Quit putting away your kid's laundry. Occasionally I will hang baby's church clothes for him, only if I've just finished ironing them. Otherwise, he puts away his own laundry. Sometimes I even (gasp!) make him take it off the drying rack - or out of the dryer - and both fold and put it away himself. But it's like, magically, I have less work. And I get less frustrated when I happen to see inside his drawers, because I know it wasn't my hard work and time gone to waste when everything is wadded up in there.
2. Quit doing all the cleaning. Seriously! Baby is 8 and at this age, is fully capable of cleaning the entire house, top to bottom, on his own. I might need to remind him what that entails, but as far as the actual work, he can do it. Get your little ones their own broom and start 'em early. Your older ones can stand on a step stool to reach the upper cabinets when they empty the dishwasher. Practically anyone can load a dishwasher or hand wash dishes. Bigger (7 years-ish and up) kids will enjoy you watching over them as they add detergent to the washing machine, and reminding them which buttons to push and knobs to turn. It's pretty simple: just teach them, learn to be ok with imperfection, and your job becomes easier. Not to mention, if you're sick and unable to do housework, said housework doesn't have to be postponed until mama is better.
3. Quit caring for the younger ones' needs alone. At 6, baby learned to make a bottle with formula, and how to properly hold a baby for feeding, so he could help with his little cousin. At 8, he has become interested in learning how to change diapers (safety note: we only allow baby to change boy diapers, and specifically those of his little cousins. we've taught him that daddies are the only boys who change a little girl's diaper). If your older ones are girls, they might become interested in "baby duty" even earlier. Baby's help has been invaluable to me, especially when his second little cousin was born, and I was nannying a one-year-old and newborn. Let your older ones help out with - or even take over - some of the tasks you're used to doing in caring for the younger ones. Make it a little easier for yourself!
4. Quit carrying all their stuff. Before we began homeschooling, baby went to a very small private school. All the parents parked and walked their children into school in the mornings. I kid you not, baby was the ONLY one wearing his own bookbag and carrying his own lunchbox. He was in first grade. Some of the parents had multiple children, even including infants, to wrangle, and still carried their kid's bookbag and lunchbox. Y'all, bookbags are worn on their BACKS. The kids don't even have to exert any effort. And lunchboxes aren't super heavy, even when you pack with reusable glass containers. Give the kid some responsibility and stop being an enabler. You'll thank me when they're older :)
So, what do you think? Would you be able to have your kids take on some responsibility to make your life easier, or even just manageable? Please tell me there's someone out there who is as "mean" to their kids as I am to mine!
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