- They learn that spray bottles filled with water are not only for spraying people with.
- Every horizontal (and most vertical) surfaces get completely soaked thereby ensuring they are wiped down.
- When they are in cleaning with you they are not: shoving various items in the VCR/DVD player, poking the sleeping baby in the eye, decorating your kitchen with flour, etc.
- Instead of the 15 minuets that it would take you, each cleaning activity can be stretched to fill an entire morning significantly reducing the amount of time that you have entertain them each day.
- They have no problem with mundane tasks such as scrubbing smudges off walls and doors.
- They think that it is a great honor to get to clean with you so you have a new item for bribery.
- You give them a mop and some water and you are guaranteed 20 minuets (seemingly an eternity) of uninterrupted free time before you have to go and supervise to ensure the mop stays on the floor with no detours to the wall. (I'm pretty sure that the original pitch for the mop was to entertain 2-year-olds for an immeasurable amount of time.)
Monday, February 25, 2008
The benefits of cleaning with a 2-year-old.
You may think that cleaning with a 2-year-old is an oxymoron; this is not the case. You should have your two year old clean with you because:
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8 comments:
Kiki, I read your blog. And I LOVE it.
-Jessica Feik
Kiora, that is great (and very funny) advice for cleaning. I love how you can turn a simple 15 min. activity into an all morning event, and especially how you can even get a 20 min. break while he cleans the floor. I didn't know how to get anything done with kids, but I am glad to hear that there are ways, if you have a lot of patience.
What a great way to look at what could be a very frustraiting task! I hope that I can be as patient a mother as you are!
I think I need to work on some of these things. I wish I had more patience to let my girls do more.
This is great!
Maybe you should send Alex back and I can try again. JK
Love Dad
a nield boy that cleans!! now I know you really do have magic powers. lol.
What a wonderful thing to have a 2 year old helper! My mother always told me to let little kids clean, and fold laundry while they wanted to learn . . . because you never knew if they'd STILL want to when they were older.
I love you.
You were always a WONDERFUL helper.
MOM
i wanted you to know that i finally added my blog too. http://aaronfamilyvalues.blogspot.com/ but wanted to comment on your cleaning pointers. what a great idea! my boys love vacuuming and dusting. i'll put stray socks on their hands, spritz them with a little water and let them dusk away while i work on the higher shelves. good times! :)
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