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Christi Diggs
on May 23 2013 - 06:00 AM
A drop of spin, a cup of deception and tsp. politics=Apathy
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Lindsay Metcalf
on May 22 2013 - 06:00 AM
When that tornado siren sounds, I'm in the basement
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mara williams
on May 21 2013 - 06:00 AM
Summer break has this mom on a house upkeep war path.
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- kim nakahodo - Profile | Pictures | Blog
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I am joking about the title, of course. My little man wants to help you. No matter what you are doing, or where we are at. This is something that started off cute, but has progressed into something more in the cumbersome category.
I honestly think he’s gung-ho about helping because it’s something his brother can’t do right now. Niko can help, Ryker cannot. It’s a way for him to get attention because he can’t compete with the baby’s cuteness.
So any task you are trying to complete, add another 5-10 minutes. We attended a fundraiser lunch this weekend and Niko wanted to help clear the plates and get drinks. Some of this was driven by the Brownie Troup that was attending the tables offering those services. (Incidentally this started right after a bunch of people wanted to hold the ‘new baby.’)
Like I said before, it started off as cute, but no one wants to encourage a 4-year-old to carry a cup of lemonade across a busy cafeteria room. The third plate he cleared from our table, he spilled on the floor because he couldn’t reach the top of the trash can. Sigh. Great intentions, but because he is still a bit clumsy and short, it actually created a bigger mess than before he ‘helped.’
I don’t want to quash his servant’s spirit, so I have to get creative and create jobs for him. The thing Niko really wants to help with is cooking. Yikes. Images of him cutting his hand off or catching on fire immediately fill my head when he asks. He used to be happy with just cracking eggs (this lead to MULTIPLE nights of eating omelets for a while) but now he wants to help stir the pots and put things in the oven. Not my idea of helping… so I let him help me with the dishes, but there are only a few things he can really wash. I don’t really have a lot of plastic dishware.
Anyone else have this problem? Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great problem to have, but I scrambling for age-appropriate projects for him. Ideas?
I know FamilyFun offers some recipes where it tells which parts the kids can do and which parts the adults can do. I think same with Rachael Ray - she has a couple of kids' cookbooks. What about dusting or laundry? You could put an old sock over his hand and have him wipe down surfaces, or give him a Swiffer duster! Have him man the baseboards. What about laundry? Can he help match socks? That would be harmless, I would think!Both my kids LOVE to help in the kitchen. I don't really like it so much, lets be honest I don't even like DH helping in the kitchen when I am trying to get meals ready. But I have found things that make them happy to help with. Both kids are excellent taste testers (even if they won't eat the food when it is put on the table, but they will taste it to tell you if it needs salt or pepper)!Mixing salad vegetables and tearing lettuce are easy things to do. Putting away pots and pans, which don't break easily are good jobs as well. I had cheap plastic dishes for several years that we used, they were a good investment. Putting away laundry and putting away toys are good chores as well. It is hard to watch them help when they don't do things the way we would, but they are so proud of themselves and with practice, it just gets better.
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