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Cleaning House by Kay Wills Wyma

by Laurel Thomas

October 13, 2012

@headant

Tell me if you are familiar with the following scenario. You just finish cleaning your children's rooms. You go to wash the dishes and cook dinner. When dinner is ready, you go to your child's room to tell him. Unfortunately, you are met with a worse disaster that when you started. I know my kids always use my cleaning time to make the biggest mess possible somewhere else. Not only do they feel it's their right to make messes, they always expect me to clean it up.

In her book, Cleaning House, mom Kay Wills Wyma had enough of those scenarios. Mother of five children, ages 4 to 14, she decided to take matters into her own hands. She implemented a simple system to teach her kids how to start caring for themselves and others. Each month, she decided to teach them a different skill. From cooking dinner for the family to throwing a party, the kids are taught valuable lessons about serving others.

I like that Kay isn't afraid to use the word entitled when referring to her children. At five and six, even my children act entitled, demanding (yes, demanding) I clean up their messes. I would love to be able to teach them the value of doing it themselves. Some of the areas she covers would have to be tailored to my children's ages, but I think that they are never too young to learn to pick up after themselves or help in preparing a meal. I thank Kay for putting this book out there and taking on a such a monumental task. This book is a great guide for parents and children alike.