Teachin' Responsibility

Jackson has really started growing up.  His behavior has really improved (not that it was bad before)...but he is listening and following directions without much fuss.  He is more patient.  He is quicker to pick up his toys (most of the time) and to get dressed in the mornings (again, most of the time).

Since he is starting to act older...it's time for more responsibility and to take responsibility for his actions.  He already takes his dishes to the counter after meals.  He has begun to put his laundry away after Mom or Grandma folds it.  He picks out his own clothes and gets dressed all by himself.  He bathes himself.  I think he's doing a great job!

So, when he recently made a few messes, it was time to start cleaning those up on his own:

Mess #1:  Tracking mud in from outside.
Grandma started to clean up the mess that he had made, and I told her "No.  He made them mess, he can clean it up."  And he did.  Happily.  With NO complaint!  And was SO proud when he got done!!

Mess #2 The Bathroom
Way back when Chris and I were dating, I cleaned the bathroom in his house.  And that was the last time I cleaned the bathroom in his house.  I told him that I didn't mind cleaning bathrooms (well, that wasn't true...but you say things when you're young and in love that may not be exactly true to impress the one you're in love with).  Anyway, I didn't mind cleaning bathrooms, but I told him I wouldn't clean his pee off the toilet or the floor ever again.  I made the promise that as long as there was pee on the toilet or floor that he could clean it himself.  And, I never cleaned another toilet after that...he cleaned all the toilets until he died.

One day when Jackson was potty training, I overheard Chris tell Jackson "Buddy, you better wipe that off the potty cause Mommy gets mad when she finds pee-pee on the potty.  And you better always put the lid down after you potty, 'cause Mommy will get upset about that too."  What a good Dad...teaching his son early!

So, Jackson, for the most part, has been pretty good about cleaning the seat or toilet after he uses the restroom.  However, yesterday, for some reason he decided to stand on his step stool to use the bathroom.  This caused a little more influence from gravity...and the result was quite a mess.  Jackson was a little surprised about it and wasn't quite sure how to handle it.

Enter: The Boy Towel

My Aunt Cindy introduced me to "Boy Towels" when she married Uncle Philip.  A Boy Towel is an old towel (preferably white 'cause it can be bleached) that you don't care what gets on it.  It saves tons of paper towels (everyone knows that is what most boys use to clean up the largest (or smallest) of messes)!  And if you have pre-determined that you don't care what gets on those towels, then it's not a big deal when mud, grease, or paint get all over them! And they use those instead of your "good towels".  BRILLIANT!

So, I took Jackson to the linen closet and introduced him to Boy Towels and told him to clean up the bathroom.  He did.  Very well.  And asked me to check it when he was done!!

Way to go Jackson!!  So proud of the 2 messes you've cleaned up so far!!

"Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it."  Prov 22:6
(not speaking necessarily of cleaning up messes here, but of responsibility for actions in general)!