I believe in team work.
It makes perfect sense to me that when clean-up time happens, I divide up the chores, and let everybody get to it.
But what actually ends up happening, is I do my chores, then I go check on what everybody else has done, and see that "the kids" have been messing around instead and the oldest has been yelling and getting frustrated that "she's the only one cleaning."
It is not a pleasant situation.
I also recognize that the oldest is simply mimicking me (because it takes more than a few months of not getting yelled at for it to leave their system).
Then I sit there, feeling betrayed (silly I know) because noone else is keeping their part of the deal. And then I get upset, and then the nagging and screaming and yelling begins.
But we don't do that anymore.
So instead. I have decided on less cleaning, more supervising.
Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay
I no longer break up the chores to divide and conquer.
Now I make the kids do the chores, and I watch.
It is amazing how much more work is done when mama is watching.
Since its my job to watch, it feels ok that it takes a long time, its ok that my ballerina does pirouettes in between picking up socks, and its ok that my son does back flips before picking up the toys, and I can soothe the oldest who wants to "just finish fast" because it's easy to tell her to mind her own closet.
It's also easy to see when she really is done.
(It's never as fast as she thinks it is)
The cleaning gets done better too. Now, instead of them making the counter "look clean" they get out the cleaning supplies, and give it a good scrub. Mama is watching, so they wipe down the doors, and the windowsills.
It used to make me feel guilty to just watch and instruct. But now I realize that instructing and watching is a job itself.
And those corners don't get ignored anymore.
And under the bed get's cleaned a lot more often.
And all the clothes on the floor doesn't blindly go into the dirty clothes hamper.
And mama is much happier.
And her home is much more clean.
And all adults in charge of a home filled with younger ones know.
You're always cleaning something anyway.
Less Cleaning, More Supervising.
