In our house, when Mom and Dad need help, I call "ALL HANDS ON DECK." It is important that our children learn to be organized and understand that we all need to help each other. Truth be told, no matter how hard you try when you have children, you pick up one mess and they start another! I have to say in the beginning they were not at all thrilled of the phrase being called frequently, especially on the weekends. However, now they are use to it, they have learned to accept it, a normal dramatic moan here and there but for the most part, they get it. We are a family and we need to help each other out. Mom and Dad have a lot of responsibility and we also want to play and relax. I am so glad I persisted. I always tell them, the faster they help, the faster we can all have FUN. It is important to show them from the time they are very little that it is great to play, make a mess and be creative but that it is equally important to clean up after yourself. I expect all my kids to help out from my 10 year old to my 2 year old. Regardless of how many children you have, if it is one or four or six, these are lessons will help them and you in the future.
Moms and Dads, we are not doing them any good by doing it all for them, sure it looks better and it is easier for us to do their bed and organize their toys. However, by doing so we are not teaching them the responsibility to help out and cleanup after themselves. Start when they are toddlers or even younger, teach them the importance of picking up and having order after playtime, it is all about the routine you set up in your house. You will be thankful later. It is not going to be easy at first, be ready for the resistance but it is possible, just continue working on it.
A few tips I will share; Try to make it fun and be creative. I got my daughter (at the time she was 1 yrs. old,) a little Melissa & Doug Shopping Cart so that she can pick up her toys from the floor. You can get it at Amazon, Target or Walmart, this was a big help so that she could learn to pick up her mess and then walk it over to where her toys actually go. I also have cubbies/clear containers and a bench where specific toys go, so have them understand your organizing system that was created for them. Explain it to them, walk them through it, remind them where to put things and they will get it. With the boys, I started doing the same, as they got older, doing their bed is a good one. A task that not easy but with practice they will perfect it. Isn't that true for many things we do in life, we have to keep working at things. In time, their bed will look better; just have them do it all week. I can tell you that now my older one does a great job, the smaller one is still working on it but he is getting better. There are days we wake up late and are rushing to school like many families, but that's fine. You might not have time in the morning but then have them do it when they get home from school, just have them keep on working on it and it will work.
As parents it is hard for us, we want to do it all for them, we are SuperMOM and SuperDAD. I am learning, as I continue to educate my children, showing them I need help is good. They are becoming my best helpers. We need to empower them and teach them to be the best in everything they do. These lessons might be tedious and they will require an enormous amount of patience from us, but in my opinion, it is a life lesson they will have forever and until then, All Hands On Deck.
Diana Duran