Little Helper

Here are a few household chores that Molly does around the house to help me out:

She vacuums with her play vacuum while I do it for real (a special note here to point out that she is not afraid of the vacuum at all, so she's braver than my cats, at least). At Grandma and Grandpa's house, she is quick to call for the Dyson when she finishes her meal... or rather, finishes dropping her meal. She also loves to walk on the pile of dirt I just swept up in the kitchen, or sets small toys or food in the dust pan for me.

She can put a few clothes into the washer or dryer for me, but the big job is pushing the laundry basket full of clothes into the living room to be folded. My favorite part is when she sits on my lap while I try to fold the laundry. Another laundry job Molly's in charge of is throwing away the used dryer sheet. Of course, she usually stops to scrub the floor with it on her way to the trash can.

The trash can is definitely Molly's favorite household item. It is her official job to throw anything away. I can entertain her for hours (minutes, really - we're talking about a toddler here) by ripping up a sheet of paper and having her throw away a piece at a time. We're still working on the "don't take anything out of the trash can" lesson, though. You can also ask her to deliver something to someone (like the mail to Daddy) on the other side of the room. The only time she doesn't come through is if it's food of some sort.

The point of my list? Sure - Molly's help is usually more trouble than it's worth - but she sure looks proud when she does it, and it makes me feel like a million bucks that she wants to do something for me in the first place.