Teaching Kids 2 Clean pt. 1

The theme of this month is “Kids and Cleaning”. This month, we will discuss ways to teach your kids about responsibility through cleaning and how empowering it can be for children to help out around the house. We cover all sorts of topics, so please keep coming back and send us a message if there is a topic you’d like to see us write about in the future!

This series has four parts. For your convenience, I’ll post a bullet point synopsis at the beginning of each post so you can skim, skip ahead, or cherry pick according to your little heart’s desire!

1st post: About me/my qualifications, reasons why a child should learn to clean.

2nd post: How to get started, they will follow

3rd post: Scheduled game plan

4th post: Rewards and consequences

Today, we are going to talk about the reasons behind why it is important to teach a child to clean and organize.

Before I started a cleaning business, I worked as a nanny. I have over 17 years of experience working in childcare with children between the ages of 2 weeks and 16 years old. I still maintain a close relationship with a few families that I’ve worked for.

I don’t do anything without aiming to offer the best quality that I can possibly give and nannying was no different. I’ve read over 30 books on the topic of child development. I actually never dreamed or thought of being a business owner if you can believe it. I just wanted to be a Mom and wife, neither have happened… so I invented a business that would enable me to nurture and love other people. If you’re going to do anything, you might as well follow your heart right? But you didn’t come to read about me… let’s talk about why you should teach your child to clean.

We live in a society of rapid shifting and changing. The economy, jobs, values, and cultural norms are not even close to what they were when we were children. Millennials are often cited for a poor and uncommitted work ethic and they say that the next generations are only deteriorating.

As a business owner, one of my biggest struggles is finding dependable, consistent, and enthusiastic assistance. Most of the people who come to me seeking work do not have a resume and are overwhelmed by the simple task of filling out a job application. I’ve also noticed it is very rare to find someone who can follow and remember strategic instructions (even for cleaning).

Though cleaning is often perceived as a “basic” and “menial” necessity of life, I’m finding more and more that most people don’t know how to do it well or efficiently. When I find a good assistant to clean for me, I always tell them, “Don’t settle here, you’ve got to find a way to work smarter, not harder. Don’t stop at trading your time for money but find something you love to grow and build.” I think that’s a message we all want for those we care about, especially our children. That’s the very reason cleaning is so important.

Let me break it down for you.

You go to work and work hard for what you’ve built and what you have. Wise stewardship is a method to honor and multiply your efforts and time. When it all comes down to it, time is truly the standardized currency that money and possessions only represent. We all get 24 hours in a day, and yet, because of an unawareness of how to work smart, hard, and honor, we squander our chance to truly expand and grow. Our ability to expand and grow directly impacts the fruit of our lives. When we are living according to our greatest possible potential, we are able to position ourselves (and our children) to give out and to multiply.

The purpose of developing wealth (in my opinion) is to gain the power and resources needed in order to give others a leg up. Ultimately, I desire to do this because it’s what Christ did for me. I was set free from a very sad and difficult lifestyle. My bad choices and suffering were not held against me. I was given a new and fresh start. To whom much is given, much is required.

And you know what? It all begins with stewardship.

When a home is organized, the home owner is positioned to use and access their position in a timely and efficient manner. This allows time to be spent according to the wishes of the steward. It also minimizes the need to purchase duplicates.

When possessions (including homes) are well cared for, they retain their value and don’t deteriorate as quickly. A penny saved is a penny earned.

Teaching children to pick up toys and items that have been used keeps the home organized so that they know where to find everything when they want to play or craft. Just 15 minutes of doing the dishes now could save 30-60 minutes of doing dishes after the food is all hard and crusted on. I don’t know about you, but when I want a plate for dinner, I don’t want to have to wash one just to be able to eat.

Teaching children about chores and cleaning reveals the value of hard work. It’s hard to do chores when you’re tired. It’s hard to want to push through at the end of the day when the fun is over to put everything away. It’s hard to get up and let the dog out so it doesn’t pee on the floor… but it sure is nice having a dog to cuddle up to or go on a walk with!

When children are given chores, they are given opportunity to learn perseverance and self control. Though work is often not very fun on the front in, it sure does feel good to know that a job was done well and right. It feels good to come home to a clean and neat house and be able to lie down on the couch without seeing clutter everywhere. It feels good to have a friend stop by and know that you won’t feel humiliation over being a slob.

When kids are given age appropriate tasks to be responsible for, their self images are also rewarded. Don’t do it for them and give them space and time to get it wrong and be imperfect. Practice makes progress and progress leads to perfection. Even if a chore or task isn’t done perfectly, the investment in teaching a child to value themselves, their space, and their possessions is well worth a few months or years of “missing a spot”. They’ll get better in time and you get to lovingly guide them along the way. Believe me, you’ll become more humble and soft hearted as you do… you’re not perfect either.

When children are given chores, they experience a sense of ownership. They are entrusted to contribute to the needs of the family. When someone is required to contribute to a greater entity, they make an investment and form a greater bond. Believe it or not, but chores and teamwork actually foster a sense of loyalty, commitment, and fortification in every member’s heart. When family’s work as a team and each team member has a role to play, they are positioned to learn the importance of keeping commitments and upholding their words. They learn cause and effect. They learn how their actions affect other people.

They learn to value others even when it may not directly impact themselves.

I think people have forgot how to do that. We live in an instant gratification world where so many people only care about soothing their own pain and meeting their own needs. We (as a culture) have lost the ability to bear with another’s suffering and to give for another’s desire even when it hurts and costs us.

I want to be the kind of woman who is fortified by boundaries that allow me to give and receive for the purpose of growing within a group that I’m committed to. How much more should we want this within the context of a family?

Learning to offer our efforts in exchange for building and maintaining what we have been given cannot be undervalued if we are committed to truly loving our children. Teaching a child these basic tasks is inconvenient and it’s not easy. It takes time and a significant amount of patience.

The point of teaching children how to clean and pick up is not so that they will be little neat freaks or develop OCD. The point is to offer them opportunity to learn a mentality that they will take with them through the changing seasons of life.

The king of the universe who created heaven and earth got on his hands and knees and washed all the dirt, dust, poop, sweat, and filth off of the disciple’s feet the night before He was crucified. I bet he was under some stress… and considering He was about to pay for the sins of the world, you could say He had a lot on His plate… yet, He chose to demonstrate service to those He was raising up to be pillars in the faith.

I don’t care if your’e raising the next president of the United States, if your child doesn’t know how to serve and contribute in the home environment when it comes to menial tasks, they will not be capable of stewarding a great position with integrity and character.

In the next few posts, we will dive into the practical application for which these principles rest.

Need a little more convincing?

Take it from McRaven (There are shorter versions of this speech on Youtube… just google it)…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxBQLFLei70