Teachable Moments

I have successfully completed the household cleaning tasks on my list for this weekend! Snapper was cheerful and helpful slave labor due to the fact that she chewed a hole in the neckline of her shirt this morning. I think my daughter was a squirrel in a past life...she puts everything in her mouth and chews on the most random things: fingernails, her sheets, the old drinking straw she found on the ground at the ballpark...ugh! I shudder! I determined that if she was so bored that she had to chew her shirt for entertainment, I would give her something productive to occupy her time. So Snapper cleaned baseboards this morning. She folded laundry and delivered it to the appropriate rooms. She cleaned out the dishwasher. She wiped down the edges of the bathtubs. She cleaned her room. She put away all the toys and books that have been accumulating in the living room. She emptied trashcans. And guess what? I never once saw her shirt--or anything else for that matter--enter her mouth.

The coolest part of all was that she cheerfully helped the whole 3 hours without a word of complaint. Having her there with me made my tasks so much more enjoyable, and the morning of hard work flew by. We laughed and talked. I gave her instruction in thorough cleaning. She loved the time with me, even if it was cleaning. And we talked about doing our best because we are doing it for the Lord. A sweet and unexpected teachable moment. That totally jived with her, and she seemed amazed to discover that even emptying the trash with a cheerful heart matters to Jesus. We are rewarding ourselves with cheese souffle (Snapper's favorite meal) and popsicles for lunch. Hooray for a completed checklist! Hooray for a clean house! And Hooray to God for giving me such a cool daughter to share life with!