A monumental event happened in my life this week. I may even look back on this particular event, many years from now, and shed a tear or possibly smile with contentment. Or maybe I'll do both.
For quite a few years now, as a family we have worked together to keep things running smoothly. When my husband and I considered expanding our family 6 years ago, I knew that a major thing I would have to do to make this transition work, would be to let go of some of the control I had over keeping our home at the standard I thought it needed to be. I needed to be ok with my boys doing their own laundry, and trained them to do so. I needed to be ok with them cleaning the common area bathrooms, vacuuming, and dishes. These things do not need to be perfect in order for life to run. They simply need to be completed. http://www.focusonthefamily.com/parenting/parenting_challenges/motivating_kids_to_clean_up/age_appropriate_chores.aspx helps give us a guideline on how and when parents can expect your children to do various chores.
So back to the monumental event... "What is this major happening?" you ask?
I arrived home after a crazy day of errand running and typical taking care of things, and my 13 year old son was working on his homework at the dining room table. He had already completed his chores for the day. And what else did he do without being asked? He noticed the dishwasher was full of dirty dishes, and instead of walking away from the machine as if it were going to magically develop a detergent filled reservoir and start the dish cleaning process itself, ladies and gentlement, YES!, without request, he started the dishwasher!
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