Every Tuesday while my daughter attends a college course, I babysit my granddaughters Alana and Mia. No doubt, I Love Tuesdays! To make things easier for my daughter, I usually watch the girls at their house, which means one less strategic diaper bag packing experience for my daughter…she really appreciates it.
So here’s my dilemma, hence the title of this post: When I’m watching the girls and they are busying themselves with some serious playtime or they are down for their nap, I find it very difficult to just lounge around and do nothing. There’s always a dish or two (or maybe more, lol) that requires washing, a floor that needs to be swept, or a load of clothes aching to be folded and put away, so I choose a chore that suits my mood, and I complete the task.
After several weeks of this, it dawned on me that my daughter may not care for my participation in the chores responsibility, so I asked her point blank: “Does it bother you when I clean while you’re at school?”
“No way, Mom. I Love it!”
Did I really expect an answer other than that? Absolutely not. She’s a loving and appreciative daughter, but she did offer up a little advice, “Just don’t rearrange things or organize, I need to know where our stuff is.”
So to answer to my own Shakespearean-esque question, and as an offering of advice to my sisters out there, clean what’s on the surface only, and respect your child’s boundaries.
Happy Monday, and Tuesday’s almost here, yippee!
kj
PS – In the event there is any doubt about my daughter’s need for a little cleaning intervention, take a look at her blog at https://www.labirdsnest.com/search/label/stay%20at%20home%20mom . . . and scroll down for the pic of the laundry pile. ; )
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LOL! Thanks Mom. I do love when you clean. It helps me out a lot! You're the best! And Congrats on Guest Blogging!
Ashley,
Thanks for being the subject of my stories and life!
mom
Hey KJ,
I really loved your story! 🙂 I don't have a daughter, but I do have a daughter-in-law…well she IS my daughter. lol And I know for a fact that she would NOT mind AT ALL if I cleaned her house while I was there. 🙂
When I start babysitting, I'll be there for a whole week. She has informed me that she wants me at (their) house for the first week. I said, "No problem!, I'd love to."
Also I'm sure I'll get the chance to do a bit of cleaning as well. 🙂
Thank you Ashley for your comment and participation in this discussion. I do appreciate your mom and her posts.
Tammy 😀