So far it has been fairly easy to do chores with Sweet Pea around. When I needed to do the dishes I just plopped him in is high chair and let him eat a snack while I scrubbed dirty pots and plates. If I needed to vacuum, no problem! I would just strap him to my body with my awesome Moby wrap and go about my business.

As he has gotten older doing stuff around the house has become more of a challenge. Now when I want to unload the dishwasher he wants to take out the dishes and hand them to me so I can put them away. This is not such a bad thing, since it teaches him early on that yes, he does have to contribute something to this household.  The problem arises when I want to load the dishwasher. The dishes are coming out just as fast as I put them in! And unfortunately I can no longer trick him by just putting him in the high chair -  he wails because all he knows is that I get to play with one of his favorite things and he’s left out.

Vacuuming is much harder too. As soon as I have the vacuum cleaner plugged up he rushes over to me and insists on pushing the vacuum too. Oh and the dryer! He loves taking wet clothes and putting them in the dryer. Of course if I’m not fast enough in handing him the wet clothes from the washer, the ones from the dryer get taken out again and thrown on the floor!

This new desire to help has certainly added some comedy to my day, and frustration. I just have to keep telling myself that it may get done slower, but at least it gets done.  By letting him help me and not pushing him away because it is easier for me, he learns that I want and need his help.