Most moms I know are overwhelmed…noses to wipe, food to buy and cook, floors that constantly have dirt/popcorn/toys tracked across them, more work than time, flower beds full of dandelions and that child who always pops up asking you to play with them at the exact moment you have no extra time/energy. Becoming a parent means we’ll always be tired before bedtime!
However, when we take a step back we might find that we’re doing jobs better suited to someone else in our family. This isn’t about passing off our work…it’s about delegating, and frequently teaching, so that our families are working as teams. One simple question, ‘Is this task something that absolutely HAS to be done by me?,’ could free us up to enjoy our work and invite our families to work beside us (instead of watching us work from the couch).
Type A’s out there are already cringing at the thought of letting a 4 year old fold the towels or a 10 year old vacuum the living room because they know it won’t be done correctly. I know this because I’m a Type A who cringes and has to force myself to let them help anyway (and NOT go back and re-do the job later!). It’s good for them and me, even when the results are a little rough around the edges. If you look closely at the picture of our 4 year old washing dishes on this post you’ll see that part of our back splash has come off…from water damage when another child was learning how to do dishes. I miss my back splash, but it was worth it to teach our kids how to help. And Lord willing, we’ll get around to fixing the back splash soon. 🙂
By the time kids are about 2 years old they can start helping out in the kitchen, too. In our house, 2 year olds are in charge of closing the refrigerator and pantry doors. By 3 they’re responsible to put away all the plastic kid cups/plates from the dishwasher. At 4 they pretty much jump in with everyone else…washing/cutting produce, setting the table, cooking scrambled eggs, flipping pancakes and putting groceries away after our big shopping trip each month. It’s all done with supervision and help, as needed, and it takes some extra work up front. The wonderful part is that by 10 we have kids who know how to safely cook breakfast and lunch alone with I’m sick and who know how much work it is to plan/prep/cook/clean up a meal.
I think our kids are pretty awesome, but they aren’t more talented in the kitchen than anyone else’s child. Your kid can do this too! If you’re consistently finding yourself alone in the kitchen here are a few ideas to get family members involved:
- Let them pick meals! If you know they would choose mac & cheese for every dinner then give them a set of options to choose from or let them pick an ingredient from the produce section that they’d like included in a meal.
- Teach them how to choose good produce. Even little kids can check for bruises on apples and peek at the bottom of berries and grapes for squishy spots.
- Give them certain food items or areas of the fridge/pantry that are theirs to restock/clean. When we bring groceries home I have kids who are experts at putting potatoes, onions and dry goods away while others put food in the deep freeze and crisper.
- Let them wash food and dishes! When they’re 4 they’ll love it…when they’re 10 they’ll moan. It’s OK. 🙂
- Teach kids how to chop food safely. Let them use knives! A big chef knife is actually one of the safest choices because they can keep their hands away from the blade easily. Here’s a 1-minute video with tips on how to teach kids to use one:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlzErmyoiX0
- Teach kids how to preset the oven and how to use the defrost/reheat buttons on the microwave. It’s simple and it builds their confidence in their kitchen skills.
- Teach them how to get ingredients out for meals you prepare a lot. It’s like having your own cooking show. 🙂 Our 4 year old knows what to grab when I say we’re having oatmeal and our 9 year old can grab all the usual lunch ingredients when I tell her we need to pack a picnic.
Ok, you get the idea. Chances are your family is going to eat a meal in the next few hours…how can someone else come work with you to lighten the load?
