Kids-work? Huh?

Happy New Year!

New Years is all about Organizing and setting goals. I have also set a few goals for myself. One of those goals is to enjoy my kids more than I have in the recent past. I also have a deep desire to teach my children to be more organized and to clean up after themselves. How is it, you ask, that these two separate resolutions can be reconciled?

while scrolling through blogland I found these fun games to play with your kids. They reminded me of the love and logic theory that the way to teach kids about work is to make sure that in the beginning they have fun while they work. The more fun they have the more they realize that work is a good thing and not the horrible nightmare that they think it is at first. It's always nice to add a few more positive games to the arsenal of cleanup time.

I always used to say, "If you're not having fun being a parent then you're not doing it right." I really believed that at the time. Now, with a few more children under my belt and with those children growing up and becoming more independent and more opinionated I realize that sometimes parenting isn't fun. Sometimes to be a good parent you have to be tough and you aren't going to be their best friend. ---and that's ok. You just keep doing your best and you keep trying to overcome your own weaknesses.

That being said, a little more fun is never a bad thing. Doing things in a more positive way has got to be a good thing and being their best friend some of the time has definite benefits. So, take a look at the fun ideas and just maybe 2010 will be the year that your kids actually clean their rooms all by themselves--without even being asked or maybe they'll put their shoes in their closet instead of on the floor or they'll put the games back into the boxes they came in after they are done playing with them. Who knows, maybe your husband will too!