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This week I’m posting as part of the 5 Days of Mothering & Homemaking series. My series is on cleaning and getting your children involved (or more involved). To view the other 21 contributors and their topics, go here.
Bathroom Duty
Aside from mopping the floors, deep cleaning the bathroom is my least favorite chore. I use the word favorite loosely here.
So the idea of delegating part of that chore is both relieving and guilt-laden. The bathroom should be one of the top priorities in the home to keep clean. I know when I walk into someone else’s home, going into a clean bathroom is refreshing. On the contrary, going into a dirty bathroom is, well, gross.
Wiping down mirrors, counters and the sink as well was “swishing” the toilet everyday only takes a few minutes. Involving your children also continues with teaching responsibility and family contribution.
Beyond that, scrubbing the tub and mopping the floor should be a weekly occurrence. If you’ve kept up on wiping down surfaces, doing the weekly deep cleaning will be a breeze.
I used to be better about having my older ones wipe down surfaces in the bathroom, but as is second nature to me, I started picking up the slack and never gave it back.
Assigning this chore can be done in the mornings after teeth-brushing or right before bed. Personally, I prefer before bed so everyone wakes up to a tidy, clean bathroom each morning.
The children can take responsibility for wiping down surfaces, and I can take care of the deeper cleaning each week–at least until they’re older 
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Laundry
I started folding laundry when I was about 10. My daughter turns 10 this month–can I get a woot?!
OK, just kidding. I also came from a family of 5, not a family of 7. Completely delegating all the laundry would take over my poor daughter’s life–at least right now.
Honestly, though, it is time for her to seriously begin doing some folding. Towels are quick and easy. Once she gets that down, we’ll move on to doing her own laundry. Even my 3 year old likes to help fold the wash cloths.
Do your children help with laundry?
On a Positive Note
It’s important to point out how crucial it is to make sure we are affirming our children when they do a job well down. This empowers them to keep pushing on, or even take the initiative to go above and beyond their expected duties. My daughter (9) has demonstrated this numerous times.
Encouragement is so very important. The Bible says,
“But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.” Hebrews 3:12
Do you realize how loaded this one verse is? Encouragement is crucial for anyone living in this fallen world. It can be so easy to take our eyes off the prize and grow faint. We need those regular reminders that we aren’t alone and that we can try again.
How much do our children need to hear these words from us? Encourage them in their efforts, even if the job done was less than stellar. Don’t be deceitful in your praise, but let them know there’s always tomorrow and you know they can do it.
Cleaning is no fun for anyone (well, maybe some people find it fun!) But since our only other option is to live in chaos and filth, I’d say we should do what we can to make the most of it.
What do you do to make cleaning more fun?
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Reminder: Next Wednesday we begin our Beautiful Battle book club!
Just released today! “Rejected: A Four Week Mini Bible Study on Rejection and Acceptance” by Heather Bixler
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Today only, the below titles are free!!
Faith
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My bathroom is taunting me right now.
Mine always taunts me. lol
My new years resolution this year was to be less resentful about household chores and one way I decided I could accomplish that was to delicate some of them!
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Laundry is one area we’re working together on. I get everything washed and dried (tend to do several loads in one day rather than spread out over the week). Then the kids (10 & 7) help me sort the clothes. I fold my and my husband’s while they each fold their own on the same room. I usually finish before them so I read a book to them while they finish. It’s turned into quality time, they’re learning to be responsible and I’m less resentful!
What a great idea, Shawna!!!
My kids have been doing laundry with me for several years. (My oldest is 5!) Even the youngest (22 months) loves to help move laundry from the washer to the dryer… and though it may take a couple minutes longer, it also saves my back all the bending over to move from my top loading washer to my front loading dryer. And now, my 5 year old is tall enough (with a stool) to get down into the washer and can do the whole thing with his 4 year old sister putting it in the dryer for him. We don’t do this very often, but they wish we did!
For the most part, it is their job to empty the dryer too. They carry arm loads from the hall (where our hook ups are) to the couch and make the tallest “mountain” they can make (this helps keep the laundry from sprawling all over the couch and living room floor). Some days it’s pretty tall if I don’t fold between multiple loads!
Then comes folding. I was better at doing this with my oldest when he was little than I have been with the younger ones, but it still works. Now, at 5, my oldest can fold just about all the kid clothes, blankets and big towels. The hand towels, bibs and wash clothes have been handed down to my 4 year old. At 22 months, my third really just unfolds what we do if I’m not watching closely enough. I sit and fold the adult things and any other tricky things (like receiving blankets and diapers.) Sometimes we sing while we work, other times there’s more discussing of the actual work at hand.
Then comes putting away. I’m not fond of this part, and if I let it, some of the stacks will sit for days… in our living room… on our couch. Ugh! So the kids are big helpers here too. Oldest two can do their own clothes themselves… and the toddlers too. And that same toddler loves to help. I load him up with daddy’s socks (or some other thing I won’t be too put out about when he drops it and I have to refold) and he heads to the right drawers.
And in a single day the kid have helped with chores all day long. Now if only I were good at being consistent with this. I skipped laundry today, so I’ll surely have plenty to do tomorrow! Perhaps I’ll let them help. It’s what they love to do anyway!
Isn’t it strange how we live in an age where work is no longer the norm, and play the luxury? Work is deemed as “unfair” and life is centered around entertainment.
Good job getting those little ones to help!! I have a 22 month old, too!! He also loves to “help”–with unloading dishes, putting away laundry (I often find things in the wrong drawers (or wrong room altogether!) and know right away my baby was being a big helper. I am finally learning to appreciate this rather than be annoyed at the extra work or whatever.
I never considered my self a control freak until it came to cleaning and cooking with my kids. This is something I must give to God. I am doing so much better with cooking and letting them help in the kitchen. I suppose it is time to start letting my 5 year old start helping with cleaning.
I know!!! Me, too!! I just want to get it “done” and have it look “right”. Yea, I’m not doing my kids any favors that way!
It is funny that you talk about praise, or encouragement. I was just thinking last night about how rarely we do that for our children, and even less for ourselves. There is beauty in acknowledging a job when it is complete and praising ourselves for the success of completing it. As moms we move so quickly to the next job that we don’t even give ourselves time to acknowledge the good thing we just did. I started celebrating the completion of even tiny chores with a big hooray! and “yes” cheer. It is so fun, and the kids love it! That makes doing practically anything more fun.
Also, I really love your idea of the quick bathroom cleanup after teethbrush. It would literally take one minute. I shall start tonight.
To a beautiful day, and many successes.
Katie Vrajich
A Woman Who LIVED
http://www.awomanwholived.com