Baby steps to becoming a big helper!

I was just marveling to Chris how much easier caring for Eb has become lately.  I know this hasn’t happened overnight, but the realization was exciting!  Chris and I have always talked about how we want our children to be contributors to our family, to feel like they are needed, not just consumers.  As such I try to be conscious about opportunities to involve Eb where I can.  For obvious reasons that involvement has been almost non-existent, until recently!  There are lots of ways he has taken baby steps, sometimes literally, to becoming a contributor in the family – some of which aren’t obvious at first.

Eb is completely switched to table food now and can (mostly) feed himself.  This has saved me lots of time in making baby food and made meal time a more enjoyable family event.  We can now eat together instead of in shifts as we take turns feeding Eb!

He loves to ‘help’ with the laundry and dishes!  Obviously he’s not actually washing dishes, but my Papaw once pointed out its better to teach kids when they are interested and willing – even if it means a little more work for you – than to wait until they no longer want to be involved.  So following that advice, Eb rinses spoons, measuring cups, plastic cows and other safe objects before they go into the wash water.  For him its just fun wet play right now, but I know this is the prelude to him really helping down the road.

He also loves to sort and help me fold laundry by bringing me articles of clothes (or throwing them on the floor!), and he especially loves riding to the laundry room in the basket!

Now that he can walk and take basic instructions he has also started carrying things to the car for me. How cool is that?!?! He has gone from being the one I need to carry to helping me carry things! Granted I keep it within reason, his lunch box or even just his sippy or a toy, as long as he has something almost every time we go back and forth I’m happy.  I feel like this is both helping him feel involved (he loves the praise) and teaching him a bit of chivalry at the same time (boys should help girls carry things, even if the girl is their Momma) before he has any clue what chivalry means – that’s how something becomes second nature, right?  You’ve just always made a practice of it.  

He also loves helping me gather the things needed to go outside – because of course that means he gets to go out!  He fetches his shoes and hat and knows the difference between my shoes and Chris’, he even brings them when we haven’t said anything about going out just in case its an option!

Before you ask, no, I don’t think of him as a pet I am training, nor do I think of him as my little (current or future) slave.  Training is something we all do and need, especially little people who are just learning to navigate life.  By training and directing early and at a level he can grasp, life will be much easier for him and our whole family down the road.  Isn’t life (your job, school, or interactions with other, even driving on the road) easier and better when you know the expectation and boundaries?  That’s what we are doing for our son.  Showing him the expectations and boundaries of operating in our home and family, with the hope that we are equipping him to succeed once he leaves our home too.

I love this new stage of life!  Because of the reasons above and a dozen others I can see my little man growing up, and I couldn’t be more proud!  Yes I’m a little sad at how quickly this has come, but his independence has actually grown my affection for him rather than decreased it.  We are growing in our relationship and he is able to reciprocate the love I’ve been pouring into him all this time.  It’s a little intimidating thinking about starting all over with Evie, but I am hopeful the lessons and discipline I have learned from training Eb will help me to be equipped and faithful with her and however many more blessings are sent our way!

"Hey Mom, this is kinda fun!"

"Gasp! Did those words just come out of my mouth!?!"