October 26, 2006 1:04 PM
Even the littlest can help!
I've written before of the tendency to run out of steam with the later kids.
With your first children, there is such a thrill in learning how to parent and teach. You have youth and vitality and energy and stamina all going for you. Hooray! I look back and think those were my best mothering years.
With six grown and gone - with the exception of the two college guys who come home for summer - I have six at home: 2 girls 13 and 16 and 4 boys with Down syndrome 14, 11, 10 and 6. At 58, I'm old enough to be their grandmother.
Add to that the fact that it does take a lot more effort to teach kids with Down syndrome - although the rewards are so great no one should ever let that scare them away from welcoming one into your family - and you can see that Tripp and I are at a point where we have to be extra conscientious to do everything we can to give these kids the same advantages the older ones had.
When I talk about advantages, I don't just mean making good dinners and being good listeners and carting them to all their activities. I mean working to help them to realize their learning potentials - all the Montessori-inspired stuff I've written about here and in my books (If you're new here and have preschoolers, be sure to read under the categories Montessori, toddlers, and preschoolers to see what I mean). Jonny at 14, was raised in the midst of a bunch of kids who'd been raised to be independent and happy to serve. But Jesse, Daniel and Justin are developmentally much younger than their years and are at that point where they need that one-on-one attention to help them acquire everyday skills like buttoning their shirts and tying their shoes.
My recent surgery has given me so much more strength to be able to take care of this responsibility. Now it's a matter of making a priority each day. Using the Montessori approach to teaching life skills can really work well with them - but whereas it might take two or three lessons in sweeping, for example, to get a four-year-old started, with them it may take seven or eight.
I can see God's wisdom in having me in this unusual position, though, as it keeps me really in touch with what young mothers are going through each day. It's not as though I'm writing about things I once did with my kids. I'm writing about things I'm still doing each day.
Last weekend, Tripp had the boys stack the cord of wood that had been dropped off by the garage (Jonny was at his Boy Scout sleepover). The boys have been doing this for several winters, so they know the drill:
No matter your child's ability level, the earlier you give him truly useful work to do, the more you will see him shine. The best years for teaching household chores are the preschool years. Get them working early and you won't have balkers later on.
Even when it takes more time, it's worth it!
Posted in Big families, Down syndrome, Montessori, Preschoolers, Toddlers | Permalink
Comments
When I was a freshman at college, I helped out with Special Olympics. The young lady I escorted around lived in a group home and worked in a box factory. She was so proud of being able to make boxes and that she had learned to do it! Would that more Americans had such pride in their work.
Especially as Christians, we need to remember to Phl 2:14 "Do all things without murmurings and disputings."
I'll need to remind myself of that, and that we need to do all things well for God as I go about my housework and raising up my children in the way they should go.
I also need to compliment people that are doing their work well and joyfully. Last week the checker at the grocery store was singing and joking with people--it made for a much nicer experience than normal. Also, this afternoon at McDonalds the young lady who mopped the floor was smiling and waving at my kids. While I smiled at them both and thanked the lady at McDonalds in her native language when she returned a toy my son dropped, I should probably have said even more to both of them.
Posted by: Elizabeth B | October 26, 2006 4:19 PM
My 14-year-old reminded me this week of a television program we used to watch, or sometimes rent from the library. It's called PRESCHOOL POWER. The song still runs in my head:
You can do it on your own
You can do it once you've been shown
This show helped me to realize the littlest children can do amazing things. So my kids helped unload the dishwasher when they were wee ones (and they still do it).
Posted by: relevantgirl | October 27, 2006 3:57 AM
Hello! I'm delighted you have a blog, and that I came across the link today. I was on the Amazon page for your book, "Lord, Please Meet Me in the Laundry Room," because I was doing two things - adding it to my Listmania of favorite books and leaving a review.
What a full and wonderful, yet challenging life you have!
I will bookmark you. God bless you! - Donna
Posted by: Donna J. Shepherd | October 28, 2006 6:18 PM
