Sweeping with an 18 Month Old
I remember a time when I could sweep just once in less than 2 minutes (ok – maybe less if I was in a hurry). I love my little guy Sam, who is 18 months old. However…..he makes sweeping a lot little more challenging. For instance. I have the crumbs on the floor swept in a pile. Suddenly, I see my little guy come running into the kitchen. Oh no! Panic sets in. I have to grab the dust pan before he gets to the pile.
All of a sudden, I kick things into turbo charge! I turn around and NOOOOOO!!! He has grabbed the broom and carefully pushed the pile around the room. OK, so I have to sweep again – lol! I know he’s trying to help, but it actually makes the process take longer, sometimes 3 or 4 times – eesh.
Yesterday, I got into a major organizing groove and cleared out a craft cabinet I had. When I moved the cabinet, I was amazed at how many crumbs had piled up underneath it. I don’t even know how the crumbs all got under there! There was particularly bright M&M in the pile. I had the feeling I should just throw it away. Did I? No…that would have made sense, right? I grab the dust pan and turn around to see Sam standing in the pile. Then he says, “Mmmm…yummy eminemmie.” For those who don’t know “Sam talk,” “eminemmie” means M&M. Oh crud! I have no idea how old the M&M is. It was red so it could have been from the bag of Valentine’s Day ones I just bought or it could have been Christmas or it could have even been a regular M&M from a year ago.
These are the things memories are made of. 🙂
Did you steal my son?
I have a 23 month old and a seven month old…sweeping? I think I remember that! I can’t even use nap time for sweeping because I’m trying to recover the house from the morning!
My son finds questionable cheerios sometimes…nothing bad has happened yet! Many wins!
I know how you feel! As I clean, my 21 month old follows behind pulling stuff out or throwing piles around. Now when I sweep I give him the dust pan so he feels like he’s helping. I also have made a game of chasing him with the vacuum. It’s a little less frustrating.
Haha! I was talking about two different sweepings!
It is so nice that my youngest is now 3 1/2. I convince her to let me sweep and then she gets to use the Swiffer WetJet after me. Boy do I remember when my kids ate stuff of the ground. Oh wait–My 3 1/2 yr old still does–especially if it is candy. Why do they do that?
The same thing happens to me with my 19-month-old, lol.
Ha ha, it’s a good thing chocolate really doesnt go bad 😉
Sounds so familiar. I use a swifter and Chloe always takes off with it. The cat hair that is suppose to stick to it usually gets smeared all over the just finished being vacuumed area rug.
And for the M&M? It would have tempted him even if it was in the trash. I always make sure to bury things in the garbage can so my daughters are not tempted to remove items from the trash.
Too funny. My 15 month old likes to step on the pile as I am sweeping it, so its like a race to see how fast I can sweep it across the floor before he can get to it. And, oh boy are those little legs fast!
Oh goodness!! LOL
Well, at least he had a grand ol’ time helping mum clean AND got himself a snack in the process…
He is just TOO cute! I remember those days. You just have to love them. Thanks for making me think of my “little” boys! You never fail to bring a smile to my face, and that is why I love you and your blog!