Adam and I have started to verbalize some of our internal thoughts about what Harrison is going to be doing in the next couple of years. Something that we have agreed upon is that we are going to have some "non-negotiables" that we want Harrison to do as part of learning to become a big boy. In other words, we have some chores that we would love for him to learn from. Now, don't get me wrong, the things that I am about to list aren't things that Adam and I don't want to do; we just think it would be valuable for Harrison to do them, you know, to learn a sense of responsibility. This is just the beginning of the list. We are open to suggestions.
- Marley & Chewy Duty: this includes feeding them, brushing them (twice a week), and throwing the ball for them. These are relatively fun activities because our dogs are great.
- Yard Duty: picking up poo from the dogs (I guess this could be grouped with #1) and cutting the grass (he may need to be a little bit older for this one).
- Laundry: now I know that this may surprise a lot of people, but I think it is good for a child to do their own laundry at some point. I have been doing my own laundry for I don't know how long. I think my mom had me doing my own from the time I was old enough to throw the objects into the wash...I distinctly remember not being able to see in the top. I had to climb on top to press the buttons to get it started. While this may be a little early, it wasn't a big deal for me when I went off to college to do my own laundry. I was an old pro by this time. A lot of people that I knew in college had to do their own laundry for the first time when they went to college. This won't be the case for Harrison.
I am sure there is more to add to this list, but this is all I can think of right now.
2 comments:
Yes, you started doing your own laundry at about the age of three. You brought your clothes down, I would pick you up and hold you so that you could drop your clothes into the washer. You were EXCITED early on because this is something your big sister and big brother did; this meant that you, too, were big!!! You went through a stage - expecially in middle school - when you complained because "nobody else" at school at do laundry. Not much later, though, you refused to let anyone else do your laundry -- for fear that someone else would mess up your clothes! :) However, this grandma thinks Harrison is a bit young to start right away!
This grandma agrees, little too early for laundry, grass, and dog duty. Sorry mom and dad will have to pull this duty for awhile!!There will be time. It's okay to dream alittle. By the way missing all terribly!!
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