Monday night I was tired. I went in to "put John to bed." Right now, this requires laying on the floor next to his bed so he won't get up and wander around instead of falling asleep. Fortunately, it is allowable under this job description for me to fall asleep.
Jeremy had to leave for a meeting about 20 minutes after I laid down with John. He apparently got James and Maggie set up with a mop and bucket of water. When I awoke an hour later, I had a reasonably clean kitchen floor! I clearly need to think of more things to ask these great kids to do. It is so hard for me to remember that they are growing up so fast, and that includes growing in their abilities to help!
Ever since then, Maggie has been dropping hints... "Mom, if you have any chores to do, I will just do all of them for you." (SURE!)
James can also get motivated when interested in the outcome. Today he asked, "When can we plant a vegetable garden?" I of course told him we would wait a few weeks until the frosts were over. But I also implied that I wasn't sure I was up for a garden. He insisted he could do all the work. And he promptly set out to prove it. He and Maggie disappeared almost instantly, and when I looked up, they had the vegetable patch completely cleared of the overgrown weeds and the soil all turned over for planting.
Even John would like to get in on the act. When an unnoticed piece of cheese in the middle of the kitchen floor (HOW DID THAT EVER GET THERE? And just after the kids mopped!) attracted a pile of ants, there was John, ready to help. I found him down on his belly, squishing ants systematically and cheering.
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