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winker58

Interesting Alernative to Cleaning Service

winker58
16 years ago

A neighborhood child was telling my child and myself that she would be at daycare the next day (Saturday)and could not play. She goes to a daycare center after first grade each day. I thought it was sad to have to go to daycare on a Saturday when she is gone all week away from home and her parents are very busy working parents (one goes to school one maybe two nights per week and the father travels at times). Then, I found out that she goes fairly early in the morning most Saturdays but is home by 12:00 and her mother uses the times for the three kids to be out of the house too clean the house up uninterrupted so that they can then spend the rest of the weekend doing family things. Once I got to thinking about it, it didn't seem so bad. You could get a lot done without those three kids around and they probably just sit and watch cartoons anyway. This way they are playing and having fun as the center has activities.

Comments (7)

  • jannie
    16 years ago

    I had my babies fourteen months apart. I had to work full-time,so dtr number 1 in home day care. When I had daughter Number 2, I sent #1 to the daycare at least 2 days a week. I didn't want #1 spend all her time with me and to be afraid of the daycare setting,and the two days gave me some Me time, time for housework, and for bonding with #2.

  • quiltglo
    16 years ago

    I have four kids. Three still under foot. No way I would let them sit and watch cartoons while I cleaned. They all have two hands, which can clean right along with me. How do people expect kids to know how to pick up after themselves and keep a clean home if they don't learn these skills while they are young?

    I must be the only mom within my kid's playmates who expects the kids to pick up after themselves. A couple of visits to the house, and they know the expectations. I think it goes back to having good daily habits of keeping the house picked up, so that running the vacuum or mopping a floor takes very little time. When stuff is put off until the weekend, then you have a big job to do. A little bit every day makes it so that the weekends aren't spent cleaning.

    Gloria

  • western_pa_luann
    16 years ago

    I am with quiltglo... the kids should be helping.

    I feel sorry for the kids. They are NOT learning valuable skills, and they are NOT spending time with the parents! (Shipped out 6 days a week plus having parents who are gone at night and/or on the road!)

  • jenathegreat
    16 years ago

    I understand the parent's motivation, but I agree with Gloria that the kids should be cleaning and learning how to do things for themselves.

    My SS doesn't do anything at his mom's house and was quite shocked when he had to start doing things at his dad's and my house... (DH didn't have him do stuff either, and he's just as much to blame as his ex in my mind). SS has to do horrible things like putting his plate in the sink and helping to clear the table and (oh horrors!) helping unload the dishwasher!!

    These things would have been easier to do if introduced little by little over the years rather than all coming at once at the age of 8. He'll be 13 soon and has begun learning to do laundry and is a decent cook. He wouldn't be able to do this if he'd been shipped off or allowed to sit and watch cartoons while I did everything (don't worry, the poor thing still gets *plenty* of TV time).

    Sorry for rambling :)

  • jy_md
    16 years ago

    I'm with the helping children group but in my case, the kids WANT to help. They have always asked to help - maybe not for long (15 minutes) but I'll take anything I can get. So, we end up with a not-so-clean-but-clean-enough house. My 3 year old son likes to vacuum; at one point he had his own working vacuum cleaner (bissell scooby doo). Now I just give him a chance to vacuum his own room after removing the long vacuum wand and attaching the hand attachments.

    My 9 year old daughter likes to mop(!) So on random days, I'll sweep and vacuum the kitchen floor and then my daughter will mop with a wet swiffer or sponge mop. She really likes doing this.

    Both children like to clean surfaces so I have them clean the counters in the kitchen and bathrooms as well as dust the wood table tops. Ooohh and the duster - what a wonderful thing! They will dust anything to use the duster.

    I've found that the children want to feel important and helping Mom and Dad do stuff around the house is one way of feeling needed and important.

    BTW, DH also taught our daughter how to make perfectly brewed coffee. So she's gold in our eyes.

  • pink_overalls
    16 years ago

    Count me in as someone who'd encourage parents of young children to teach them basic housekeeping skills. I liked to give my children a choice when they were young, as in, you can wash the bathroom floor or the kitchen floor. You can rake the yard or sweep the porch. They learned that work is something that gives you satisfaction. I have nieces and nephews on my side and my husband's side of the family, who were not given these kinds of chores. Not only did their parents do their laundry and clean their rooms, but sent them to the best schools and activities. Now, they have college degrees and don't want to get serious jobs. Two still live at home, even though they are 25 and 36 years old! Mammas, don't let your babies grow up to be lazy.

  • winker58
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    All of the comments are true. I don't do this but thought it was interesting. My neighbor deep cleans and then doesn't do much but put things away as they come out the rest of the week. Otherwise, she says that she is always dabblling and cleaning.