Mommy's Little Helper

Taking Theo with me on laundry errands used to be the biggest chore. First, I had to do it with Theo in the baby carrier. Then, when he outgrew that, I had to carry the laundry bag to the elevator and push Theo in the stroller. Then, when he outgrew the stroller, I had to do laundry while he ran around the basement slamming doors.

Now, it's different. Theo is my little helper. He is terribly cute. I tell him we're doing laundry and he gets very excited, running to the elevator exclaiming, "awry, awry!" He helps me put the clothes into the machine. Then he grabs a chair and pulls it over to the machine. He climbs up and inserts the coins into the slot. Later, he helps me take the clothes from the washer to the dryer. He's only little and can't carry too much at a time, so I'll give him a shirt or a sock to carry. He doesn't care what it is, he's just so thrilled to take anything. Finally, he pulls the chair over, puts the coins in the dryer slot, and presses the button to get it started. He loves every minute of it.

How come kids get so excited about the chores we hate the most? I haven't even had another baby yet (obviously) but I'm already looking forward to when baby number two is out of the difficult-to-do-laundry-with stage and into the happy helper stage.

Of course, my favorite way to do laundry is still when Theo's daddy does it instead.