We always encouraged our kids to help us, from when they were very little. I jokingly say it only takes a little longer if the kids help. The payoff is that I still get to work on a daily basis with my kids forty years later. I still enjoy it to this day. These days they claim it only takes a little longer if I help them.
The tradition continues with our grandkids. Henry followed grandma into the laundry room this afternoon. She was sorting some laundry and stuffing it into the washer. Henry insisted that he help. Grandma would hand him a piece of clothing and then he would put it in the washer. But he quickly got a much better and more fun idea. He climbed inside and would take the items from grandma and put them in the washer. But that soon got tired and as grandma turned to get a new item Henry would toss a piece from inside back out of the washer. True to form, like days of old, having a child help only took a little longer. But the joy both Henry and we got to experience as we ‘worked’ together was worth it by far. Working with your kids is a true delight!
