Washing Dishes & Work

So last night I forgot to turn on the dishwasher and it was too full to put the breakfast dishes in this morning. I ran a sink of water and asked my daughter, aged 3, to come rinse for me while I washed the dishes. That was not what she wanted to do. She wanted to wash the dishes. My five year old son wanted to rinse. They were both still in their pj's and we had a somewhat busy morning planned, but they were so excited that I let them do the dishes by themselves. It took a really long time, but I got the vacuuming and a few other things done while they scrubbed and splashed and gave themselves bubble beards. If we're all sick tomorrow we'll know that this was a bad idea and that I should probably delete this post.

What does this teach? I think that while our kids are excited about work is the time to teach them to do it. They want to be a part of things and don't understand that their help is often more of a hindrance. This enthusiasm, though, makes them eager learners. So, for moms, this is the time to slow down, be patient, and let them learn and help. In a few years, I'm sure, they will want nothing to do with washing the dishes, but for right now, they are learning how to do it with great excitement; in fact, later this morning we found our daughter in the bathroom with a sink full of water, soap, and all the dishes from her pretend kitchen. A mess? Yes! But what's not to love about that excitement! --Lou Anne