I told Paul he could stay in the family room, playing with his toys: I was going to clean the bathrooms. I put the Scrubbing Bubbles container on the corner of the kitchen table and grabbed a few rags from the laundry room.
In the ten seconds I was gone, Paul grabbed the cleanser. (Apparently, he is now tall enough to reach things on the table. Make a note of that.) Then he took off the lid (I have no idea how he was successful so quickly) and went into the bathroom. When I walked into the bathroom, he was rubbing the green nozzle of the bathroom cleaner on the lid of the toilet. (He knew the bubbles had something to do with the nozzle, but wasn’t sure how to get the bubbles out.)
Wow. I was blown away.
Now, I’d love for you to suppose this is a reflection on how often I clean the toilets. Trust me – that is not the case. It’s been at least two weeks since I cleaned the bathrooms and the time before that was, I think, when we first moved in (three weeks before that). I think I just have the most clean-aware child on the face of the planet. Or maybe he’s just going through a very serious “I want to imitate Mommy” stage.
After I sprayed the cleanser on the countertops, Paul grabbed the hand towel and tried to reach the counters himself. As I Swiffer-ed the bathroom floors, Paul tried to steal the Swiffer from me. When I scrubbed the toilets, he wanted to take the brush away from me and splash it in the toilet too. (I didn’t let him, and he was very sad.)
(Paul did dip his finger in some of the Scrubbing Bubbles and put it in his month. Ooops. Trust me, Paul, that’s not whipped cream! I think he realized that when he made such a face…)
I don’t think this interest in cleaning is normal for an (almost) 18-month-old. Or is it?
Don’t get me wrong — I’d love to encourage it. I personally hate cleaning the bathrooms (among other things) and I dreaded Saturday mornings as a kid when my sister and I were forced to clean (although we made up for it by singing “It’s a Hard-Knock Life” the whole time because our “mean mom” was like Miss Hannigan when she made us do chores). I look forward to the day when I can make cleaning the bathrooms a weekly chore for my son and not for me. Wouldn’t it be nice if he actually liked to clean?!
I was going to post this little anecdote on Paul’s Page (where I post weekly updates and stories about Paul). But then I was hoping that some of the other moms out there can share their thoughts. At what age were your kids competent at cleaning? Did they ever express an interest in cleaning with you? How do I keep him interested in helping (even though, right now, he really isn’t helping)?
Hmm, not sure when Natalia FIRST started wanting to help clean. She’s 3 1/2 and loves to help do certain things. Everytime I pull out the Clorox wipes she’s begging to help me clean. However, if I ask her to clean up her toys, no way! How cute is Paul though! What a smart little guy!
Give that boy a rag and a little spray bottle of water and let him rip! And tell him all about how much you appreciate him being such a good helper and keeping your house so nice and clean.
My philosophy with (little) kids’ cleaning is to just let them do it and not worry about the results. For example, when I first teach kids to vacuum, they’ll spend like 5 minutes on one area and skip the other side of the room entirely. 🙂
Roscoe (almost 14) has recently realized that his bathroom won’t be stinky if he cleans it properly. Awesome!–because those boys sure can make stinky bathrooms.
Kids love doing whatever you are doing. So, if you are cleaning, they want to help. They are also smart. If you hate cleaning, they will pick up on your attitude. So teach them: cleaning makes me happy because I like it when my house is all clean! It will be years before they are interested or able to clean on their own. They just want to be spending time with you. So, let them help and encourage them. Tell them what you are doing. You can even explain your technique.
On the occasion when I feel like I am sick of cleaning and want someone else to have a turn… well, no one cares that the house is clean as much as me. And no one else cleans to my standards. So if I’m very nice and not too picky, perhaps Karl will help out occasionally to help me stay sane, but cleaning will always and forever be my job first.
Cleaning at 18 months is just more child’s play. It’s something they can actively do. About that age I showed Caden how we could make sippy cup spill stains “disappear like magic” by squirting the carpet with Windex (yep it works on all stains) and then rub with a wet ray. He went through the house making things “-appear like magic”. My kids love to clean the appliances with windex and a towel. If squirting things is involved, cleaning is so much more fun. We have pictures of Jon and Ryan with my rubber gloves and a toilet bowl brush going after it when they were about 3. Now don’t get excited, they loose all interest in it as the game gets familiar. They will clean best if Mommy or Daddy is down on hands and knees cleaning up with them. And making a mess is every bit as fun as cleaning up one, so you’ll never be ahead. In my experience, my children came to appreciate and clean room and was motivated to do it…..after they were married! Like you and your friend said the best way to clean is with a song or some very lively music. Personally I clean with the 50’s! Love Mom
great ideas, everyone! Thanks!
Paige, good to know that at 3 he may still like the cleaning game! Paul actually does like to put away his toys, although it’s just as fun to take them out again!
angela, wow, not looking forward to the *teenage* stinkiness yet! Way to go, Roscoe, for learning how to clean it! I think I’m going to get him a little dust brush and dust pan that is all his own. He sure likes to play with mine! Maybe not the most sanitary thing in the house…..
Holly, that’s exactly what I’ve realized. I like a clean house, and since my husband is gone all week, if I want it clean, I have to clean it!
Peggy, I know Paul won’t love to clean with me forever, but whatever you did worked with Ryan because he sure loves a clean house still! He’s my motivation to keep the house clean.
I have long ago forgotten the happy little helpers tagging along behind me begging for their turns with the toilet bowl brush. But I have fond memories of my poor abused children singing “It’s a Hard Knock Life For Us” and chorusing “We love you Miss Hannigan” every Saturday morning when they were required to help with the cleaning. Hey, whatever works!
Miss Hannigan, we always meant it in a mean way, and yet, the singing really made it “not so bad.” We were just pretending and that made it game!