Monday, November 23, 2009

dressing and undressing Barbies all day

Grandma comes Tuesday for a Thanksgiving visit, so most of Sunday was spent trying to whip my daughter's room into shape, where she'll be staying. I tried to combine operation clean-up with a bit of junk-shedding and trash-throwing. We were moderately successful. A few toys and clothes are set aside for donation. But it seemed like the majority of my time was spent helping squeeze Barbie hands through very small arm openings in assorted gowns.

pix from last July's Barbie convention in D.C.

Putting things away, in a specific place, so that you might find them again, is definitely a new concept for my daughter. She was treating some of her dolls in what I felt was a distinctly shabby fashion, so we tried to clean them up and organize all the bits and pieces. Some have been relegated to "display only" until she can prove that she actually remembers to land things back into the drawer that's provided.

Sometimes I feel like a hard-ass, trying to push concepts of responsibility and organization on a kid a few months shy of turning six, but then I think back to my own childhood. My mother always cleaned my room. We were definitely spoiled in that regard. I wasn't a very messy kid, but you'd never have known one way or the other, as she pretty much straightened up after me. I don't have the time or the patience to do it all for my daughter. Plus, if she can learn this concept, I think she'll end up being much more self-sufficient when she ends up living on her own or with others someday. Yikes. Did I even type that?

No, I'm not that nutty - Barbie clothes for sale at last July's Barbie convention in D.C.

When I moved out of my parents' house to the dorm at Parsons the first semester was actually a shock. I quickly realized (as did the savviest and not-so-nicest of my roomates) how sheltered I had been from my very new experiences with basic stuff like sharing kitchen chores, etc. Luckily, I adapt quickly and have a strong inner core, so I was able to navigate my way through the perils of New York City as well as the even scarier aspects of sharing living space with five other young women.

So hopefully, keeping Barbie and her clothes together and separate from stray Legos, a packet of McDonald's apple dippers that were never eaten (ewww), and a thousand crayons and scraps of paper will be a lesson for the future. And not just Mommy saying those dreaded words, "Let's clean your room."

3 comments:

atthebench said...

You get an A+ in the "parenting for life skills" category!!! Probably not the most fun way to spend your Sunday afternoon, but like you said, worth the effort in the long run.

xoxoxo said...

Thanks!!! Now if I can just tell her how I feel about how she's treating her things w/o sarcasm or sighs or eyerolls. But then, that wouldn't be me...

jane said...

I think it's great! I definitely want my daughter to know how to clean up after herself. I find myself compulsively cleaning up after her some days. She is only two! Tonight she did put her wooden train tracks away by herself and she mimics me cleaning and even insists on helping me empty the dishwasher. I think these are good signs.

I grew up in a household where I always had to clean up my own room. Even when my mother had a maid we had to clean our rooms. This was when our house was still like a showroom and my mother was more like Martha Stewart than Martha Stewart. I always went around my room in the same order with my Pledge bottle and rag and I always put my things back in the exact position. Some times I wonder if this didn't stifle creativity a bit and make me a little OC. On the other hand it taught me to respect my possessions and toys which were actually few by today's standards. We also had additional chores to do everyday. I have put more dishes in the dishwasher and cleaned more dinner pots than I care to think about. Not to mention walking the dog every night. My mother was always on the side line asking if I had rinsed the plate well enough or dried the pot before putting it away. We called her "The General" for a reason.

I wish I were as tidy now as I was then. It's good to have a hard ass mom sometimes. Says the total sucker mom that I am!

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