Seems that the longer the winter drags on and the more days the kids spend inside, the more complaining I hear. The latest list includes:
• I don’t want to clean up the toys.
• I don’t want to take my dirty dishes to the sink.
• Does your coat go in the middle of the floor? No.
• I don’t know how to make my bed.

The list goes on. For a 5-year-old, these simple “grown-up” tasks seem like awful chores. But I remember summers growing up when my mother had a job outside of the home, each morning she’d leave a “to-do” list which usually included dusting something. I never understood how so many things in the house could get dusty, and my theory on cleaning was to just push aside the decorations and dust around them. That never passed the white-glove test.

Compared to the kinds of chores my grandfather used to have, these are mundane tasks. In this story he’s a bit older at 10, but picking up a coat off the floor pales in comparison!

Maybe I should have my son listen to this story next time he feels like complaining.

Until we walk again …