The Dishes: Something Wonderful Has Happened!

 

In January, I posted about The Dishes and my personal philosophy/strategy in trying to tackle this never-ending task. At the time I wrote that The Dishes, “can be frustrating, especially when you are surrounded by tiny children who aren’t quite old enough to help with The Dishes, but are very good at making more dirty dishes.”

Over the past few months, I remained the primary dishwasher in my household. However, I began to question whether my children really were too young to help. Was I perhaps doing my children a disservice by not including them in this important task?

My oldest already takes out the trash and empties the compost pail for the family. He does a variety of complicated tasks on the computer and at school. He can ride a bicycle, clean his room, pick up the living room, load the washing machine, hang up his laundry, and watch out for his younger sisters- would dishes really be that difficult to master?

Last week I informed my oldest that today, he would be washing The Dishes- he would wash and I would dry. He was skeptical as to the feasibility and wisdom of this plan, but obedient. He’s learned over the years that it’s pretty useless to argue with me. I loaded the sink for him, helped him figure out what to wash next, and stayed near him as he worked. He was grossed out by the food floating in the water and by having to touch yucky things, but he overcame that, and Lo and Behold, he washed Every. Single. Dish.

Out of gratitude, I gave him a secret Rice-Krispy treat.

The next day, I tried with his younger sister. Same routine. She also washed every single dish in the kitchen. It was a little bit harder for her because of her age. But with a little support and encouragement, she accomplished it. She was also thrilled with the secret Rice Krispy treat.

As for me, it was like a new, shining world had dawned- a world where the children I’ve been cleaning up after for all these years- were now becoming actual contributing members of the family. I always hoped this day would come, but how exciting that it finally has!

It even makes me wonder about the future- could we perhaps finally keep egg-laying chickens, now that we have a small workforce to help maintain the chickens and their coop? I know parents who do this, and I’m intrigued.

And what will I do with my extra time while the children take some of the responsibility for the dishes? Clean stuff. There are corners and nooks and crannies in my house that haven’t been swept or wiped since....well, maybe never. 

What’s the only downside? Well, there have been a few more broken dishes than usual. The children are not being purposefully careless, but they don’t have enough experience yet with The Dishes to know how careful they really need to be. It is a price I am willing to pay, especially as I’ve broken my fair share of dishes over the years.

Though it might not be their favorite task, and certainly I will still have to do quite a few dishes, I can rest in the knowledge that I am equipping my children for life, and teaching them that it is their job to be contributing members of this household.

We also compensate them for the tasks they do. Each school-aged child gets an allowance, and we try to make it clear that it is because they have earned it by doing chores, being obedient, and getting good grades in school. Their allowance can be docked if necessary, or raised if they take on new responsibilities.

What tasks do your children help with around the house? Have you ever felt surprised to discover that they can do more than you realized?