day 123: final thoughts on chores and household management—flylady review

                                Chores No More--Some Final Thoughts

1. Work on your own lack of diligence and disorganization first. I have said it over and over on this blog about every area of life: we cannot expect our children to be something that we are not. I did not mention this in the “resources” post a couple of week ago, but an outstanding online source for helping women who feel chronically disorganized in their household work and personal care is that of flylady (http://www.flylady.net/ ). This source helps women take baby steps to get control of their days; I highly recommend it.


2. Focus on daily work first. There are plenty of daily tasks in an average household to go around. And it just plain makes sense that everybody should share in them. Start with your children’s personal daily tasks, then add care of their own rooms and beds, then add other daily jobs at each child’s level. Finally, create times that all of these will be done and enforce that schedule.


3. Train, train, train! Last night as I was talking to our daughter, the nurse, I asked her if she had, had a busy day at work, to which she responded, “Yes, it was hectic. I had a preceptee (a nurse in training). It always takes longer to show someone else had to do each task than it does just to do it yourself.” This is true in every profession—including parenting. And yet, in the professional world, a preceptor (the training nurse) would never “just do it herself.” She knows that she must get the new nurse up to speed in order for their floor to be successful, and in order for the novice nurse to be skilled. The same is true with training our children in diligence and responsibility. At first, it will not feel like it is worth it to take the time to train your children in various tasks. It will likely take twice as long to do work than it would to just do it yourself. However, you are going to reduce your work load exponentially when your children take some of the family work load. Your “floor,” that is, your family, will become more successful. Furthermore, you are preparing your children for their futures, giving them life skills that they will use to be successful adults.




Okay…I’m really stopping on chores! Can you tell I think they’re important?


We are going to head back to Jonathan’s Journal for a short time, to cover the following additional information about preschoolers:


1. Importance of structure in the life of a preschooler


2. Comprehension skill building for pre-readers


3. Story time—book recommendations; signaling a change in pace for young children; introducing chapter books


4. “First” and “best” day for each child


5. Outgrowing nap time


6. Computer games, game systems, entertainment, and the young child


7. “Breaks” for Mom


8. Deference and patience in preschoolers


9. Fun and educational activities with Mom


10. Ending the day with love and affirmation






I want to spend the last two weeks of May/first part of June focusing on summer:

1. How to help your children academically in the summer (whether they are homeschooled or they go to school);


2. Some reading tips for various ages of students;


3. Providing an atmosphere in your home that replicates that of “natural readers,” giving your young children every advantage you can;


4. Helping your late bloomer;


5. Resource suggestions for helping your students in the summer; determining whether your young ones are ready for academics (especially learning to read); and


6. Much more










Thanks again for stopping by PP 365!