That Time My Dishwasher Broke (Kids and Chores)

Growing up, my brother and I had chores that we had to complete each week. One daily chore that we shared was that after dinner, we had to clean the kitchen together. Now, for those of you who know me, you know I tend to be a little on the Type A side of the personality spectrum. When it came to cleaning the kitchen, I thought I should just do it all on my own because then it would be done the right way (insert eye roll). My brother wasn’t too sad about my determination to clean it on my own. He would clear off the table and then sit down and talk to me until I had finished everything. In my thinking, I knew how to do it the right way and it would be faster if I just did it myself.

Fast forward about 20+ years and I still had that similar thinking. Things would just go faster and get cleaner if I did it myself. And then, one day, my dishwasher broke. So, carrying on this same mindset I continued to clean the kitchen primarily by myself, but it was taking so much longer to get the job done because I had to wash the dishes by hand. Thankfully, I had a great idea. The kids should help!

After I showed them how to do each area of cleaning, I turned it over to them. It wasn’t perfect and there were still times when I had to help out, but the kitchen sure got cleaner a lot faster when I allowed others to help me.

Here are some things I learned:

Don’t expect perfection but do require a ‘work hard’ attitude. To expect my 6-year-old to be able to completely sweep the floor without leaving any crumbs would be a bit over the top. But, I can expect him to try his best and work hard at the job. Knowing how to work hard is a valuable trait that will help them in life.

“There is no substitute for hard work.” Thomas Edison

Chores encourage teamwork. As soon as the boys were shown how to clean the kitchen, they started figuring out who would do which chore first. Then, before I knew it, the boys were washing and drying dishes all while telling jokes and laughing with each other. It was definitely a fun thing to see.
Chores teach responsibility. We continue to tell our kids -If you do your job right the first time, you won’t have to do it a second time. They are learning at a young age that it’s important to do a job well.
Assign chores to kids based on their age. My two-year-old can’t fold and put away her laundry yet but she can pick up all of her toys and put them in the toy bins.
Less mess means less time spent cleaning. My husband and I are always amazed at how easy and quick it is for our house to get messy. When kids help with chores, they start to realize that if they will put up items where they belong once they are finished using them, they won’t have to spend more time later putting them away.
Chores aren’t about getting paid; chores are about helping out. When kids learn that they get to help the family by pitching in, it teaches the importance of being mindful to do one’s part and can create a heart of service. Also, when everyone is working together to complete a task, you get to spend more time together. Double bonus!
Awareness. When kids have chores, they start to realize that things don’t get accomplished without someone doing the work. One day as I was doing the boys’ laundry, I went ahead and folded all of their laundry for them. When my oldest noticed that I had folded his laundry for him, he immediately said: “Thanks so much, Mom!”. He knew that folding his laundry required time because he usually folds his own laundry. When I completed the task for him, he was thankful because the job was completed for him.