When You Are Frazzled…Seek Help From Your Children

Posted by JenniferS | 0 comments

Imagine this scenario. The house is a mess, you burned dinner, you have a mountain of laundry that needs to be done, guests are coming over for Christmas dinner, and your nerves are shot. What in the world are you going to do?

I have been there one too many times. At this point, all my resolve would be gone and I would feel the major meltdown coming on. It is also during this time, that my children see the need in my eyes and my attitude and it is then that they step in and take over.

If you have trained your children right in the area of homemaking, when you have moments of stress like this one, then your children should be able to step in and help. It is important to teach them, whether they are boys or girls, how to take care of a home.

Earlier this year I received the biggest blessing in the world. It was the day when I realized that my children had finally gotten that picture of how to care for a home. I had been helping my husband for a week on a remodeling job that he was doing. I would come home in the afternoons so tired and beat, only to have to clean house and cook dinner. It was at this point, that my sweet eleven year old daughter stepped up to the plate.

I came home one evening and walked in the door. Imagine my surprise as I walked in to a wonderful clean home, complete with lit candles, folded and put away laundry. I was speechless. In the back of my mind I kept wondering, where did she learn how to do all of this? When did she grow up so fast? And then the verse from the Bible came to my mind: “Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” She shared with me that she and her older brother had wanted to do something special for me while I was gone, so they had put aside their playtime that day to clean the house, wash, dry, fold, and put away all the laundry, as well as all the other things that they had done. They knew I needed help, so they stepped up to the plate.

As parents, it is very important to teach our children homemaking skills. I know of many teenagers who leave their home, go off to college, and have no clue how to care for themselves once they get on their own. I vowed a very long time ago that my children were not going to be like that. I have a fifteen year old son who knows how to cook and clean better than any woman, simply because he has been taught. His wife will appreciate that some day.

Teaching our children these simple chores and tasks is very simple. All you have to do is begin with baby steps, such as having them pick up their toys all the time and keeping their room tidy. When they get a bit older, you can give them more chores like putting away their own clothes, or helping you dust. When they still get a little bit older, you can give them even more chores like washing dishes, and vacuming the house. And then by the time they become a teenager, they should be able to run the household smoothly.

As you and your children spend so much time together, look for any opportunity to show them how to do something. Spend time together learning, loving, and sharing For Such a Time As This!

Jennifer Sikora has been married to her wonderful husband for 16 years. They have two beautiful children who are the light of their lives. Robert will be turning 15 soon and Kayla is 11. They have been homeschooling for three years, as eclectic homeschoolers who try very passionately to follow Charlotte Mason’s style of teaching. In her spare time, Jennifer loves to craft, quilt, knit, and crochet. She began writing and blogging when She first started homeschooling as a way to map their journey, but it has definitely turned into so much more than just blogging about school. You can drop by her blog at www.jennifersikora.com to read the latest of her writing endeavors.