Responsiblities

Gammlemor made Oliver this calendar for Christmas. We hung it in a spot Oliver could see it because it was his after all. A couple of weeks ago Jerimy mentioned that Oliver was having a tough time lately and that Oliver really wanted things to keep him busy. He's been acting out a lot lately with crying and fussing.

After talking about it with Jerimy, I thought I'd write out our list of brainstormed activities and put it up where Oliver could see it. He can't necessarily read it but we explained that when he's bored he could ask to do one of those special activities with us. Which also got us thinking about chores and teaching family responsibility. Oliver loves helping so much, we really want to continue to encourage that. At the same time look for other things he can do and let him help us.

I found the chore chart on a modecokids.com (unfortunately the website is down and I can't link to it). I loved that it said "Ways I contribute to my family..."  The list includes things like unloading the dishwasher (with help of course), getting dressed, brushing the animals, brushing his teeth, cleaning up his toys, and even washing the table.

Some days are still a bit more difficult than others, but we have seen him SHINE with the extra "jobs" and responsibility we've entrusted to him. I even catch him doing unexpected little things, like get a washcloth to wipe his brothers hands and face after meals.