Aug. 8, 2005 - Delegating Household Responsibilities to Our Children
I'm still recuperating from a weeklong bout of severe bronchitis—in July, for crying out loud! Seems like it ought to be a January problem (and it usually is, for me). The worst of it passed in a week, but another week after that I'm still coughing and tiring easily.
But let me get to the real point (there is one!). This struck on the day my boys left home to visit their dad, followed by a couple of days at Grandmama's house for the last week of "summer vacation" before we began a new homeschool year last week. I had planned to use these five days of solitude and quiet for a writing marathon. (My August 15 deadline on a book I'm revising and expanding is looming like a vulture.) But I spent most of their absence in bed...or at best in the recliner, too weak and feverish to sit at the computer, much less to compose intelligent literary criticism.
I mentioned to a friend that it was a shame the boys were gone while I was sick. She thought that was odd...that it would be better to have a quiet house in which to rest and recuperate peacefully. That did have its virtues :), but it would have been wonderful to have them here to take care of the chores like feeding the cats, emptying the litter box, washing the dishes, and so on, and also to bring me water and Popsicles when I was too weak to get up, or to rub my aching head. (My almost-9yo Perry, in particular, clearly has the gift of mercy and is such a compassionate caregiver when someone is sick or sad.)
Training our children to take care of the essential tasks of running the household, and delegating those responsibilites to them, is a crucial survival technique for single parents, even in the best of times. Missing my boys' assistance during my illness underscored the importance of this strategy to me in a fresh way.
I'd love to hear other single parents' strategies for delegating the work of the home to your children.
Mary Jo
Comments
Aug. 9, 2005 - Untitled Comment
Posted by dartwns
I am not a single parent, but I feel that training my children to help with the household responsibilities is a very important part of raising children. My kids are 5 and they help out tremendously here, they can do ( or will at least attempt and help) almost anything I can do. I think it's great that your children are that helpful around the house.
~christa~
Aug. 9, 2005 - Untitled Comment
Posted by Janet
My girls help me out a whole bunch! Even if I wasn't single, I would have my girls help out a lot. I was not allowed to do many chores growing up, because my mother had to do the bulk of the work in her large family. She didn't want us working so hard, but by the time I had my own home, it was terribly hard for me, and I still struggle. My girls take care of all aspects of pet care except for bathing them, wash and rinse dishes, sweep, vacuum, keep their rooms clean, dust, tidy rooms and the yard, fold and put away the laundry, hang clothes on the line, set table, clear and wipe table, etc. I believe it's very important that children help. When they are gone, I do feel like I have a huge workload on me! :)
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