“My toddler is SO helpful…” It sounds like the beginning of a bad joke. Most toddlers (and little kids in general) are the opposite of helpful when it comes to doing things around the house, but I must be one of the lucky ones—my toddler really IS helpful! He’s got his own chores—that he took upon himself—and who am I to take them away? If he wants to be responsible, I’m all for it! Here’s a list of chores my amazing 19-month-old took on, of his own accord:
Cleaning the Floors
Holden LOVES to wash the floors. His arsenal of cleaning products? The dogs’ water! At least once a week, he ever so smartly dumps our dogs water on the floor—and pushes it around with whatever article of clothing he’s wearing. What a clever kid… Why didn’t I think of that?
Disposing of Trash
Another of his favorites. He’s great at picking up any wrappers or crumbs off the floor and taking them to the kitchen trash can. He totally gets bonus points for tossing credit cards and TV remotes too. I mean, we REALLY shouldn’t be racking up the bills or watching TV anyway, right?
Dusting
Oh. My. Goodness. I loathe dusting. So my son does it for me. With his blankie. Dust bunnies (and plants, books, candles, etc), beware! When that kid is sliding his blankie across any surface in the house—nothing is safe.
Flushing the Toilet
Yes, my kid is a genius. He may not be ready to potty train yet, but he’s certainly not afraid of the toilet. He loves to flush it, and he is constantly disposing of any tissues or old pieces of floss (from the bathroom trash can, of course!)—along with sneak attack attempts at flushing his bath toys, teething rings, and the odd magazine here and there. He’s right on par with our minimalist esthetic. Who needs all that crap anyway?
Dog Grooming
Ah, yes. Our son loves our dog Neville. They’re best buddies. Holden takes care of Nev all the time. He rubs his belly, helps walk him outside, and—my personal favorite—brushes his coat. Now, most dog groomers use special brushes for their animals, so Holden does this as well. His tools of choice are mommy’s hair brush, and daddy’s comb. Of course! If it works on humans, it MUST work on dogs. RIGHT?! Gosh, my kid is so smart.
Seriously, I must have the smartest toddler ever. He’s so helpful around the house, who needs a housekeeper?
Now, excuse me while I go mop the puddle on the floor, find my husband’s headphones, clean up the potting soil, call the plumber, and soak my hair brush with disinfectant . . .
(But, really—he does feed the dog too!)
