Lately, accomplishing regular household tasks have been taking a lot longer.
Why? My not yet 2 1/2 year old daughter has recently wanted to work along side me and do what I am doing.
There are certain days I try to start a baking project as quietly as I can hoping she won’t notice for at least a while. Other times I try to get tasks done before she gets up or after she is tucked in for the night. But the majority of my work happens when she is around.
A mundane task takes longer. (Transferring clothes from the washer to the dryer:-))
Putting a batch of muffins in the oven is more time intensive.
Messes are larger and more frequent.
Kitchen towels are not folded, but rather shoved into the drawer.
Silverware is placed in wrong slots.
I don’t think she knows the difference between a want and a need but I think my daughter is right. She needs to help. She desires to learn, know she useful, feel like a grown-up, try new things, conquer what’s unknown to her with me beside her.
Honestly, sometimes it’s a drag. I really just want to rush through what I’m doing and get it finished. It’s hard for me to slow down and be patient and teach her what I’m doing.
I try to remind myself that if I do stop and engage with my daughter I’m fostering a love for learning, a love to try new things, and even courage. Through my interactions with her she can see that it’s okay if a spill happens, that the world is not going to end if something is not done perfectly and to persevere.
On the other hand, through me and my actions, she could have ingrained a fear of making mistakes, believe that messes cause frustration, and lose her desire to try new things.
