Thursday 12 December 2013

Engage your kids in household work!

Its a miracle we call 'child' ! From the very first moment, these little fingers know how to grab, those little feet know how to kick, this little brain know how to make you listen to them!

 Its an amazing fact the way a new born grab your finger the very first moment of her existence and kicks with such an expertise to make parents claim," Our child will be a soccer player."   Its fascinating to observe the way a baby holds her neck and peeks around! Its sheer joy to see your baby put all her efforts to crawl! How pretty look these little feet while exerting little force, creeping slowly and how lovely are those little arms stretched outward to grab a rattle!

  We cannot forget the day our child takes her first step! Its a memory to cherish to hear her first words! We keep the web cam ready to capture the moments our little toddler tries to put on her dress or shoes! All these first moments are saved in images when she tries to put key in the keyhole, hold her dad's scew driver to open her car's engine, stand on the footstool and wash her glass, opens fridge door to get some food, spills milk in effort to pour it and many more!

Babies are born laborers. It only needs some observation to know that kids have innate ability to act. They are great workers and keen explorers. They have amazing motor skills and are over eager to develpe them. From stretching those little fists to first kicks, crawling to walking to talking they don't need adults to push them. These things come naturally at the appropriate time with an appropriate pace.

Surprisingly, our excitements and curiosities evaporate over time giving way to anger and frustration. We fuss over mess. Lets see some glimpses;

 Wow, what are you doing mama?
Nothing!
What are you cutting?
Its not your business, go and play.
I also want to do it.
Are you out of your senses, you want to cut your hands?
I'll be careful. I'm a big boy now.
Please,let me work and go and watch TV.

 Hey, leave this mop. Its dirty.
But I want to do it.
Please, don't mess.
I'm not messing. I'm helping you.
Your biggest help is to go out and play or watch cartoons and let me finish it quickly. There is much to do.
Mama, can I help you in cleaning? I love to wipe off mirrors.
Umm, there are chemicles and its not safe for kids.

 "Mama, I'll dress up myself."
"No sweety, we are already getting late."

Where are you going sweetiepie?
I'm getting some water.
No,no, let me get it for you. You may spill it!

 And what happens???

 In our rush to live our present, we unknowingly compromises over the future! The easy road we are taking now is leading us to a hard path.We gradually curb their desire to work! We prefer to accomplish their little tasks for them instead of facilitating things so that they can do things themselves.

And what happens???

  We raise our ever ready to work tots into ever avoiding work teens. Now when we want them to halp us out, they refuse!

 So, what to do???   

 Let them be messy, let them be  inaptclumsy. Let them fold laundry in wrong folds. Let them wash dishes even if they don't rinse off grease. Let them dust the racks, though dust remains there. Let them help you out! If they want to cut, give them a butter knife! Don't fuss over mess or wasting time! Let them work ! This may be the long and hard road but this is the right one! They will learn grace through inaptness! Their mess will teach them skills!

 Be a Proactive Mom, Instead of taking the short route go for the right path! The time and effort you will put now with your little tots will earn you more helping, ever engaging teens! Your attitude towards work at this tender age matters a lot. It will make them define 'work' in later years of their life either as ' drudgery ' or ' fun ' !











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