Chores

I've been thinking for the past month or so that we really need to add to Rachel's list of responsibilities around the house -- all she does right now is empty the garbages on recycling day, set the table for dinner every night and clear her place after meals, and that's about it (although she is very helpful spontaneously -- carrying my purse when she sees that my arms are full, or offering to do whatever I'm about to do if I'm really tired; she can always tell when I'm about to collapse).

I keep meaning to make a master list and then have a family discussion, but I never seem to get around to it. We all really need to split things up around here, because every time we have houseguests (at least once a month, it seems) or invite people to dinner, we (meaning I) go into a huge cleaning frenzy and I end up resenting the fact that I can't spend time outside or going to one of Rachel's activities (like today, because we're having friends from Oregon over for dinner, and I missed Rachel's tee-ball game because I was preparing a lamb for roasting and baking a fruit tart for dessert).

At breakfast, which Rachel insisted on having outside, she suddenly said, "Daddy, when I'm about 7, I want a job. Not a big job like you have, but a little job."

I ran to get a pen and write this down.

"What kind of job?" I asked carefully.

"I like helping people, and I like earning money helping people," she explained. "Maybe the neighbors. They're really, really nice and they probably need help sweeping the floors. I can also cook because I know how to cook."

"Yes, you can make cinnamon tortillas," Drew agreed.

"I really want one of those jobs, like, now," Rachel insisted.

So, that created an opening to talk about how we will add to her chores list and give her a weekly allowance. She said she'd use it to buy something, "maybe for you," she said, looking at me. We decided that she will be responsible for sweeping the floor after dinner (meaning we'll have to buy her a Rachel-sized broom), watering the plants during the summer before she sets the table (it still takes some effort for her to drag the hose around the backyard), cleaning the bathroom once a week, on Sunday nights, before bath, and make her bed every morning. Now I just have to teach her to do all of this stuff properly, and she'll be on her way.

Next task: teaching her how to apportion money to savings, spending and charity.