I was sitting at a nearby bookstore yesterday sharing coffee and conversation with a friend and a college-age-looking male was sitting at a nearby table intently reading an article titled “How to Clean Your House”–I couldn’t get nosey enough to see what the actual publication was, but it got me to wondering whether my kids would be ready to tackle the house cleaning completely, as well as the world when they move out on their own in a few years…
I know they know how to clean their rooms reasonably well, how to load and unload the dishwasher, wash windows, and do a load of laundry–but I started wondering if they would know to clean beneath the cushions of the furniture, how to handle stains, whether or not they could properly clean a bathroom, and I was searching my brain trying to remember if I’d ever really taught them how to mop a floor!
When I was a kid, I had pretty much taken over the cleaning of our family’s home by the time I was about twelve. It wasn’t an imposed requirement, it was just that my own cleanliness expectations surpassed my parents and I had an intense need to live in cleaner surroundings. I don’t remember my mom really teaching me much about cleaning–except how to wash dishes–the rest I learned on my own. In fact, I probably read an article or two just like that young man at the book store. But, I’m feeling motivated to send my kids out into the world with a little more cleaning knowledge.
I don’t think my kids know how often I dust, or how to clean grimy blinds, or how to clean an oven. Those can be important quality-of-life skills. Not to mention a good grasp on what sort of cleaners to use with what (I’m wondering if they know that is a vinegar and water mix I put in the spray bottle marked glass cleaner?).
Here I was feeling fairly smug about staying on track in preparing my teenagers for impending independence. It took one glance at a neighboring Sunday-morning coffee drinker to remind me I’ve still got plenty of work to do–I’d better get cleaning!