Homemaking

My kids do chores. I don't believe in "paying" them for chores, so their allowances are not tied to their chores. They are expected to contribute to the household to the extent of their capacity. Little Princess (almost 7) helps with folding facecloths, 11-year-old does dishes and takes garbage out, and 13-year-old dries dishes and cleans the bathroom (this is not a limitative list and should not be interpreted as such by 7, 11 and 13-year-old readers!).

As the complexity of tasks increace, I like to provide my slaves with explicit directions. For example, to ensure proper performance of the bathroom-maintenance task, I have provided thorough training, along with visual aids. I have posted a written step-by-step procedure :

1. Remove all items from the floor;
2. Empty garbage pail;
3. Clear the top of the sink and toothbrush rack (free standing unit, no counter, veeeeery tiny bathroom - expansion fantasies to be addressed in future posts!)
4. Fill pail with water and detergent (ask an adult);
5. Clean tub (including walls, shelves, faucet, etc.);
6. Clean toilet (including tank, cover, seat, rim, bowl, etc);
7. Clean toothbrush rack;
8. Clean sink (including faucet and backsplash);
9. Clean mirror with newspaper;
10. Wash floor;
11. Put everything back in place.

Not bad, hey ? What could possibly go wrong.

We did it together a few times to make sure cleaning was interpreted beyond the "wetting" part (refer to Bathing 101 for comparative analysis). Then, I let 13 (then 11) do it himself under loose supervision. And for the past 2 years, he's been "the man". After only one gentle reminder, he always sets himself to accomplish the task... quite nicely I must admit.

Until a few months ago. As he was finishing up his duty one Saturday morning, and I was close by getting ready for a load of laundry, I asked him "toss me your rags". Notice the plural ? Well... only ONE rag made it to the hamper. I ask my sweet progeny to provide me with his second rag. "I only used one!".

That's when I fainted !

Lesson for the day (long version) : Cleaning involves the removal of dust/grease/grime/germs/filth. Unfortunately, as our family is deprived of any bewitchery skills, cleaning usually involves the TRANSFER of said dust/grease/grime/germs/filth onto a medium (i.e. sponge or rag), which in turn releases itself of the unwated particles through rincing. This has a limited functionnal span though, as the medium eventually becomes ridden with grossness, at which point it must be thoroughly laundered for future usage. Enter the second (third, fourth, etc.) medium to continue the initial task. Should there be a limited supply of medium (let's say... a single rag), the task can still be accomplished, requiring though additional planning. Indeed, the sequence of cleaning steps must be re-arranged to process the smut in increasing levels. Failure to take these directions into consideration can lead to disgusting contamination of surfaces meant to be cleansed.

Lesson for the day (condensed version) : In the above procedure, include step 6.1 as "discard rag, and use a new one from this point on". Another option would be to re-arange the order of the steps above to 1-2-3-4-7-8-5-6-9-10-11.

Lesson for the day (short version) : When in a bind, clean butt germs with mouth germs, not the other way around!!!!