7 Year Old Cleaning Lady

Natalie would get her dustrags and head out the door. She was probably only 7 at the time but she was all business. Every Saturday, she would head off 2 doors down to clean the neighbors house. Aleene just loved Natalie and sweetly let her come help clean on Saturdays. I don't remember now what she paid her but boy did it make my little girl proud. This was so important to her, she took it so serious. Aleene said she actually did a pretty good job.

Helping kids by letting them help you lifts them up. It makes them resilient. At school, instead of an adult raising the flag or taking out the recycling, let a student do it. When young people do something they can be proud of, they have more ownership of the school and feel better about themselves. 

Too often, we think we are being kind by not making kids help. When in reality, we are not letting them have the accomplishments that doing a job well brings. There are 2 students at our school who have raised and lowered the flag every day for the past 3 years. When they reminisce about elementary school, you can bet they will remember how much their commitment will mean to them. 

Dr. Robert Brooks writes about Raising Resilient Kids and his research shows that our best memories of our youth are tied to times we felt needed and were allowed to help out. Back when Natalie had her most important 7 year old, cleaning job, what mattered most was the way it made her feel so proud of herself. She learned life lessons from Aleene that I can't even imagine. For a couple of hours a week they worked side by side and laughed and shared their lives. That is a priceless gift.

So get out your summer lists and divvy up the chores so everyone can pitch in and feel satisfied that they belong. Don't watch them work, get up and work together. Set a timer and everyone work their butts off for 5 minutes in each room. You will be amazed at what you get done. More importantly, the bonds you create in your sparkling homes.

In Him,

Joyful