Just Let Them Play

I'm often cleaning. It is pretty impressive how many toys can be out of place at once. It's not just toys, but dishes, mail, laundry stacks that were once folded - all that good stuff. Recently I have been pushing harder to get a little cleaning help from the kids. This particular day I encouraged them to "wash" the scribbles of chalk off the patio with one cup of water and a sponge for each kid. I ignored the dripping water from the kitchen sink to the front yard as they refilled their cups over and over. I tried not to care that their clothes became soaking wet and I would have extra laundry. I let them walk in and out with dirty barefeet, laughing and having a great time "cleaning." I went ahead and focused on a different task, all proud of myself that they were helping me move forward.

As you can see, when I came back to check on their progress, they had done a very thorough job of cleaning the mess. They took every single towel they could find and soaked it in the chalky water. I just laugh that I thought I was creating less work for myself, when really I created more. At least they tried to help...and more importantly, they had fun playing together.