Silver-Where?

I come from a family of 7 children. That means I have 6 siblings. That means my mom was 'with child' for 63 months. What? Whoa! So, while I come from a large-ahem- very large family, I only have 2 children. Two girls. Two beautiful, independent, clever girls. The oldest, Emma is almost 5. She is such a great helper. 

In fact, she's usually looking for things to do, to be responsible for. 

Enter...the dishwasher. Dun. Dun. Dun.... Just kidding. 

Because our plates/bowls and cups/glasses are in our upper cabinets, I have given Emma the chore of unloading the silverware and putting it in the drawer. It is just her height. 

She does a wonderful job. She also takes it very seriously.

Her sister, Kaitlyn, also likes to help...in her own way. I will give her credit though- she did hand Emma a few spoons for her to put away.

As a kid, my brothers and sisters and I thought our parents strictly had kids so they didn't have to clean the kitchen, mow the lawn, and clean the bathroom. When I was a child, my parents gave me chores. I earned my allowance. And, yes, I complained about it every chance I got when i was a kid. Now, I kind of appreciate it. My parents gave me responsibility. With that came a sense of accomplishment.

 I just emptied the dishwasher.

 I just swept the floor.

 I just painted the exterior of the house. Wait, just kidding on that last one. Barely. 

It's funny how before I had children, I just thought my parents were- well- mean. But, now that I'm a mother, I can see where they were coming from. I want my children to feel like they're a part of making our house a home, keeping it clean, and keeping it functioning. Because, let's face it. You can't have a dance party in the living room until the living room is cleaned up. Nuff said.