Mommy's Little Helper

Babykins has discovered the joy of cleaning.

It all started two weeks ago at the mall.  Babykins and I were snacking on shaved ice with Grandmakins and Auntiekins, when I managed to spill a large portion of my snack.  I grabbed some napkins and wiped up most of the spill.  As I was finishing up, Babykins grabbed the rest of my napkin stack and hopped off the bench.

I reached for her, thinking she was about to make a break for it.  Instead, she squatted down and began to wipe the floor with her napkins, too!  I thought she was just mimicking the motions, but realized she really understood the cleaning concept when she purposely moved over a bit to wipe up another puddle.

The next thing I knew, Babykins was lying on the floor of the mall, tiny arm stretched as far as it would go, trying to wriggle under the stroller to get at the last of the mess.  I couldn't decide whether to gaze proudly and support her new-found love of cleaning, or quickly pick her up off of the gross mall floor.

Since then, Babykins is unstoppable.  She goes around our apartment wiping down furniture and floors and cabinets.  Give her a cloth and she will happily spend 10 minutes scrubbing the ottoman in our living room.

Then last week I looked over to discover Babykins had taken the next step in cleaning...she was creating her own cleaning supplies.  Babykins sat on the kitchen floor with her water cup in one hand and a rag in the other.  She would tap the straw of her cup on the floor to let out a few drops of water, then wipe it up with the cloth.  While I made dinner, Babykins happily sat there scrubbing down the floor.

Now, if only we can help her keep this love of cleaning for a few more years...