I Have a Dream!
In response to Help! lebelinoz said...
Good job. I'm always trying to get my 7-year-old to do stuff. So you're saying: if I keep trying, I may get it right in another seven years.
I replied:
When I was a kid, I always had to take the trash out, because that's the oldest son's job. I have two brothers and three sisters, but somehow they could never do it, because it was the oldest son's job. I don't know who took out the trash once I moved out, because there was no oldest son to do the job. I think my dad got stuck with the chore.
My mother won't pump her own gas because that's a man's job. If her car is low on gas, she won't go anywhere until Dad fills it for her. My wife thinks this is silly, but when we were first married, she wouldn't take out the trash because that's the man's job. I don't know who took out the trash when she was single and lived with a female roommate. Maybe one of them called Daddy to do it?
I resolved that ALL my kids would learn to take out the trash and pick up after themselves. Number one son didn't have the coordination, so number two son learned to do it first. Number one son eventually learned to do it with verbal prompts at every step. I am working on fading those prompts. Number two son now loads and unloads the dishwasher, washes the hand-wash dishes, and folds and puts away his and his brother's laundry, tasks that are still beyond number one son's capabilities. So year after year, I supervise number one son's taking out the garbage, even though it would be less work to do it myself, because he needs a job, this is one he can learn, and because I have a dream that someday he will take out the garbage all by himself!
Good job. I'm always trying to get my 7-year-old to do stuff. So you're saying: if I keep trying, I may get it right in another seven years.
I replied:
When I was a kid, I always had to take the trash out, because that's the oldest son's job. I have two brothers and three sisters, but somehow they could never do it, because it was the oldest son's job. I don't know who took out the trash once I moved out, because there was no oldest son to do the job. I think my dad got stuck with the chore.
My mother won't pump her own gas because that's a man's job. If her car is low on gas, she won't go anywhere until Dad fills it for her. My wife thinks this is silly, but when we were first married, she wouldn't take out the trash because that's the man's job. I don't know who took out the trash when she was single and lived with a female roommate. Maybe one of them called Daddy to do it?
I resolved that ALL my kids would learn to take out the trash and pick up after themselves. Number one son didn't have the coordination, so number two son learned to do it first. Number one son eventually learned to do it with verbal prompts at every step. I am working on fading those prompts. Number two son now loads and unloads the dishwasher, washes the hand-wash dishes, and folds and puts away his and his brother's laundry, tasks that are still beyond number one son's capabilities. So year after year, I supervise number one son's taking out the garbage, even though it would be less work to do it myself, because he needs a job, this is one he can learn, and because I have a dream that someday he will take out the garbage all by himself!
Labels: autism, Brother Bear, chores, comments, Martin Luther King Jr., Quotes, rules
posted by Daniel "Captain" Kirk at
9:45 AM
4 Comments:
My wife will drive past a gas station while her car is on "E" just so that she doesn't have to pump gas. I cannot begin to tell you how many times I've driven a sputtering and wheezing car to the gas station to fill it up for her. There's NO women's lib in this house! (I also have to kill all the bugs.)
Excellent post. I so know what you mean in saying it would just be easier to do it yourself...sigh..I do so know that. BUT-getting them to learn how to do it..taking the extra time to do it again and again..well, when they do accomplish it-it is worth more than anything..
I grew up the same way-women did certain things-men did others. We have dismissed those ideas in our house as well..in fact, if I didn't take out the trash most of the time-it would be overflowing..with everyone trying to gently place things on the top..:)
Have a very merry, blessed Christmas!
My hubby always takes the trash out. Now Red thinks it's his job to take it out - and tries to drag it to the dumpster. That's fine with me!
When I was growing up I don't know who took the trash out.
All I remember really that wasn't girls' work was - cleaning the hog pens. Dad said that shoveling pig poop was no job for his daughters.
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