A few months back, Danae complained about having to get her own water and having to get us glasses for the table. She even smartly told us that we were big enough to get our own water, that she’s a child and we should get water for her. The other day, she wished that they had a nanny so they didn’t have to clean up after they played.
Most days, Danae is willing to help. She’s always been a natural helper. Sometimes, she whines first before helping. And on very few occasions, she would complain and go as far as saying she doesn’t want to help anymore.
I grew up with a nanny, who did everything for me that it was such a chore to even get my own water. I literally learned to get my own water when I was already in high school, and begrudgingly so. Cleaning up after playing was not a priority in my life and I was never really pushed enough to make it a habit.
Managing a home is tough, and more so in my case because I had to learn everything when I was already older. I never cleaned a bathroom until I was married. I never cleaned a house until I was married. I was never burdened with the responsibility to cook our meals until I was married. All these things don’t come naturally to me, therefore each chore IS a chore. I’ve definitely improved, but i still need to develop the proper habits.
I believe that training our kids now, even with simpler tasks, will help them in the future. I always tell the girls that even if they had a nanny, they would still be cleaning up their toys themselves. We don’t want them to be too dependent on nannies or helpers like I was, or take the help for granted like I did. We want them to develop a sense of appreciation, of responsibility and of ownership for their things, their room, their home. We also want them to learn the joy of serving others.
We have a long way to go, but we believe that we will reap what we sow.
In the meantime, we will continue sowing into the lives of our children. 🙂
Phoebe's Sari-Sari Stories 
I agree. 🙂
Learning to do chores after you’re married must have been tough on you phoebe. But we’re never too old to learn new things di ba? I also grew up with a nanny. But my mom made it a point for us to learn chores. She said we cannot rely on helpers coz we don’t know if we can afford to have one all the time. Aside from that, we can only teach our helpers what we know. I would like my children to learn the same. That way, they learn to be independent, make decisions, be helpful and useful to the society in their own way. Keep sowing!
so true, jo an! i’m sure my parents tried to teach us that too, but i was really dependent on my nanny, who was with us since before I was born till I was in college I think. She kinda spoiled us hehe. 🙂
i learned stewardship late in my life, as well. i reaped the consequences, too, by the way. glad our kids had a headstart on it.:-)
amen to that. 🙂