Raising a boy is fun. Seriously it is.
There are so many parts of it I really love. It may be the same with little girls but since I only have our son I’m making the most of it with him. I want him to grow up to understand how to do not only “manly” things but also “domestic” things. I want him to appreciate what it takes to keep the house clean and why we do that regularly. It’s not “women’s work” but rather “family work” as we all live here and therefore we are all responsible for what needs to be done around here. Granted I still end up with the bulk of it but at least he’s being exposed to it and helps.
Yes, our child has chores.
No, he doesn’t get an allowance for doing them.
We checked the charts you can find online for what are age appropriate tasks for a child but in the end we did what works for our family. It started with him at age 2 feeding the dog each evening and has grown into other things that he does regularly. He’s now 6.
Our Son’s Chores
We do a lot of these together or sometimes he’ll say he wants to do it on his own so I’ll go clean another area and let him go. Some of his chores include:
Feed the dog and get her to sit and stay before getting her food
Wiping up his bathroom toilet and sink (boys are rather “messy” in the bathroom”
Putting his plate and cup in the dishwasher and putting the soap in it and turning it on
Setting the table for dinner
Using the vacuum to clean his room and or another room in the house where we’re cleaning
Dusting
Putting away his laundry
Helping me change over the laundry from washer to dryer
Taking things out to the recycle bin
Pulling the garbage bin that’s bigger than he is up to the house after the truck has gone by
Hearing him whine about cleaning his room (ok this one is not so much fun).of all the things he does this one gets the whining and moaning from him.
Since he does help me clean the house it was timely that I started changing the cleaners to natural based versions. I know how harsh some of the cleaners can be on my hands and nose so I didn’t want him to be hurt by those or have an irritation from one of them.
Many of the cleaners we use now are either ones I purchase that are 100% natural or that we make using doTERRA essential oils. Our home is clean and it smells clean without the chemical smell or toxins from regular cleaners.
Kid Friendly Cleaners
Here are some of our boy friendly cleaning solutions he uses:
Lemon oil with white vinegar and water in a spray bottle to help clean windows
OnGuard Concentrate to wipe up his bathroom
Purify, Lemon and Melaleuca with water to spot clean carpet
OnGuard Laundry detergent
Lemon and olive oil for dusting
Grapefruit & OnGuard dishwasher tabs
Wild Orange, Lemon, water, vodka surface cleaner
Purify and water for garbage bin smells
I think it’s good for him to help around the house. It helps him learn responsibility and respect. It’s also fun to work together doing this and it’s building memories for him.
Interested in more?
If you would like our kid approved friendly cleaner recipes please let me know. I’m happy to share them.
If you have questions about essential oils or would like to get some of your own, please let me know. I’m happy to help you.
my.doterra.com/dragonspitapothecary
