They can also be very careless with other things. They've stretched out some of my bracelets, snapped a headband in two and broken two pairs of kitchen tongs. I feel like my house is the place where nice things come to die.
A few weeks ago, I was at my breaking point (no pun intended) with their destructiveness and informed them that the next toy they broke would go into the trash followed by one of their favorite toys that wasn't broken. Our toys have remained unscathed since then. And when Tru snapped my headband in two, I snapped one of his toys in two. To say he was unhappy was an understatement but he hasn't touched my things since then.
The other day though, it hit me that my kids aren't the only ones who lack responsibility when it comes to stuff. I was sitting in my family room and looking around and realizing that by not picking up and cleaning my house, I'm being irresponsible. And let me be clear that I am not saying that taking a break or skipping the dusting is a bad thing. There are those days when the best thing I can do for everyone is take some me time. However, it is far too easy for me to justify skipping out on my housework and it is far too easy for me to forget that owning a home is a blessing, not a right.
I want my boys to learn responsibility. I want them to be good stewards of the things that they've been given. And, as seems to be the case quite often lately, I'm learning that I need to have the same expectations of myself. I need to view my home and this role I have as a stay-at-home-mom as a privilege. I need to be a better steward of the things around me and right now, in this stage of life, that looks like staying on top of my housework, even if it feels pointless sometimes.
photo from: pinterest.com
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