Tools Over Toys

A few years ago on a radio show I heard a young man who was a homeschool graduate talking about how he was grateful for having been homeschooled and how it prepared him for real life.  He stated that he was especially grateful for the fact that his parents emphasized tools over toys because it encouraged him to value work over play and prepared him to work hard in the family business when he became an adult.

This young man related a story about how when he was young his regular chore was to mop the floors and how he loved it.  (At the time I thought it was strange that a boy would enjoy mopping floors!)  Then one birthday or Christmas or some special occasion his parents purchased him a deluxe professional mopping set complete with wheels and places to hold cleaning supplies.  It delighted him, made his job a lot easier and encouraged him to work harder at mopping the floors.  It was a gift that stood out in his memories of growing up.

I've discovered the wisdom of this approach with all the children but especially with Biggest Brother.  Mopping the hard floors was a chore that no one wanted to do--especially since I used do it by hand.  But one day when Biggest Brother observed me mopping with wet pads on our original Swiffer he thought it looked like fun.  He offered to mop the floors that day.

When he finished and saw how nice it looked he was hooked.  He wanted to mop every day.  I thought his enthusiasm would be short lived--much like it was when he learned to do laundry.  He was so excited to know how to operate the washer and dryer that every hamper in the house was empty in two days and there was nary a dirty piece of clothing to be found anywhere.  Needless to say, that enthusiasm evaporated within a couple of weeks and our hampers once again became a necessity.

But to my surprise Biggest Brother continued to sweep and mop every day, week after week.  Part of his motivation is that we pay the two oldest children small bonuses for taking the initiative and doing jobs that are above and beyond their assigned daily chores.  But this was not enough to motivate him to keep up with the laundry without being reminded.

For whatever reason he takes a lot of pride in mopping the floors and I have to say he's very good at it--not rushing through to get it done but taking care to see that it's done well and looks nice.  He often asks me to check his job to see how well he did.




That's when I decided to purchase him a Swiffer Wet Jet which he'd seen in a sale circular and asked me about.  He was very excited to receive the WetJet and is faithful to tell me when he's running low on cleaning fluid or pads.  He enjoyed evaluating the difference between the original Swiffer pads and the generic refills, reporting his findings to me complete with visuals.   Our hard floors have never been so clean!  I don't require him to mop everyday (just sweep) but it's very nice to have it done everyday.

Since sweeping is part of the mopping job, I also purchased him a long handled dustpan to make it a little easier.

Once he realized how his savings can benefit from his diligent initiative, he began doing other "special" jobs daily without being asked such as cleaning the stove top and scrubbing the trashcan lids.  

The biggest surprise, however, was when he recently asked me if he could start cleaning the bathrooms-- a job Sissy Mom, Little Mama and I share.  Biggest Brother confessed that he'd rather clean the bathrooms than do the laundry--a job I actually like to do.  So I trained him to do the bathrooms and I'm doing more laundry.  

I had to get a picture of this event since I'm pretty sure it's rare on the landscape of America today.

Biggest Brother's enthusiasm caught on and Little Big Brother asked me to purchase tools for him to help with cleaning, too. With five children in our home, the walls gather fingerprints rather quickly so I purchased two brands of "magic eraser" sponges for him to use and compare and report his findings to me. (He actually liked the Great Value brand better.)

Even Lil' Chunkers is picking up on it!

There are still plenty of toys at our house but gifting our children tools is a great way to encourage a good work ethic.  They know they're a vital part of the household and they understand that many hands make light work.  They also learn that a job can be made easier and even enjoyable if you have the right tools.

On a side note, there's a website called For Small Hands that specializes in real, children-sized items so that young ones can help with work at early ages.  They carry items for cooking, cleaning, yard work, woodworking, art, music, and more.  You can visit their website here.