The Rookie Mama
Parenting in the summer is like a firehose to the face that sends you backward down a giant slip-and-slide and lands you somewhere in a splashpad wild wilderness world if you so much as blink, when your kiddos are on three-month hiatus, but alas, your full-time work schedule hasn’t changed.
Whether your little ones are summer camp bound or home with caregivers, be sure to begin every morning and end each day with a little routine and chores for all.
My husband and I have four young boys, ranging in age from 4 to 13. Each is able to contribute meaningfully to our home’s everyday upkeep, and as we all know, many hands make light work.
And in our home of six, we’ve sure got many a hand.
Kiddos kicking in with chores not only contributes greatly to our daily function, but teaching responsibility gives our little guys a sense of pride and accomplishment.
It’s a family affair.
Our youngest ones help pick up, whether sorting and properly stashing toy trains, Hot Wheels cars and Duplos from whence they came, or clearing the table – be it storing away art supplies or scooping up accidentally spilled bowls of Lucky Charms.
They’re also learning to help our older boys fold laundry.
After all, we all wear clothes – A whole lot of it – Folding should also be the team effort.
The folds may not be perfect, and socks may not always be exquisitely matched, not to mention the shirts that may be inadvertently placed in wrong piles.
We don’t expect perfection.
After all, I’ve never even met an adult who can fold a fitted sheet.
Among our older circuit, our boys help clean the house, do dishes, take out trash and recycling and mow our hilly lawn among other tasks.
When our kids are really deep in chore zone, they get music or background movie choice to make it fun and truly nurture that autonomy.
Rise-and-shines and bedtimes are still enforced, albeit with more flexibility than school nights and golden rule days. This keeps us on routine and ready to take on the day.
Peppered between daily tasks is lots of fun in the sun and the reward feels all the more magnificent after each doing our part.
But that’s precisely what it is – Each does our fraction; together we’re made whole.
When we teach responsibility – with patience, grace, and some great tunes in the mix – we all benefit, and our littles ones learn these life skills.
According to Parent.com, children who do chores grow up to be successful. A Harvard study that followed people for 75 years were able to connect their physical and emotional health as well as professional success to whether they did chores as kiddos.
And so it goes – To participate in life, one must contribute to it.
Chores also allow little ones to learn how things work.
So cleaning up those Hot Wheels cars and washing dishes regularly go a long way, so it seems.
Even Harvard says so.
Even if no one will ever know how to fold a fitted sheet.
So keep calm and carry on all summer long – Just don’t forget to keep kid chores top of mind along with sunscreen, and you’ll all have a well-deserved summer to remember.
– Michelle Cote lives in southern Maine with her husband and four sons, and enjoys camping, distance running, biking, gardening, road trips to new regions, arts and crafts, soccer, and singing to musical showtunes – often several or more at the same time!
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