Day 17: Healthy Deed OTD - Asked for help, and saw my kids rise to the occasion!

Back in July, once we decided to relocate my parents semi-permanently from Indiana to Virginia because of my dad's cancer diagnosis, I flew home, and began preparing for their three-month stay at our house. I had several days before they arrived, but as you can imagine, I had a few matters to tend to. Thus, I'd left the task of cleaning the house until the day before they came. Doh!

Anyone with lupus knows that "too fast, too soon, too much" leads to swollen hands and aching joints, so I needed to call in the recruits. Mini-recruits, that is.

In an effort to save my joints, and use my time and resources efficiently, I decided to put my girls to work. They do plenty of chores around the house already, but I try not to rely on them for the heavy duty stuff.

This time, we had a lot to accomplish, so heavy duty it was.

Deirdre felt a huge sense of accomplishment after vacuuming the main level.  And Bernie was so proud to tackle the bathroom that her grandparents would use.  They worked together to put fresh sheets on the bed, and rearranged furniture and rugs so my mom's walker could get around the house easily. They beamed with pride as my parents pulled up, knowing that they had facilitated the guest preparations.

As for me, I consider practicing the art of delegation and reaching out for help, all while teaching kids responsibility and fostering compassion just another successful Healthy Deed of the Day in the books!

Comments

LupusThriver said…
That is the way I grew up, my three brothers and I always helped clean at home. It started big time when my mother was pregnant and I was eight years old with my brother 11 months younger, weI would go outside and hang the laundry, bring it in and then iron the laundry. Every Saturday was cleaning before we went out to play; dusting,vacuuming,cleaning our rooms and of course the bathrooms had to be cleaned. Then after I had my first child at age 36, I begin to notice symptoms of lupus from fatigue to joint pain to rashes to mental confusion, susceptibility to viruses like never before in my life.
So as my children were in their preschool years, I started with them helping me clean around the house. When they were eight and 10 years old, they had to put up the Christmas tree by themselves as a surprise to me since I was so sick with lupus and I could not get up. They were so excited they had done it all by themselves, and I was excited for them too!
As Sara said, it gives our children a sense of pride and a way for them to feel like they have some control over the situation by helping out and making their mother's life a little easier.
So my mothers values she instilled in me in how to raise children helped me, when I was too weak to do the job by myself, it made them stronger individuals and also a greater sense of helping others as they have gotten older.
Sara Gorman said…
Oh, your examples are wonderful! Thank you so much for commenting, and sharing a glimpse into your life as a mom with lupus. It will help others tremendously!

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