It’s My Favorite Thing, You Know.

I glanced over at Josh as he crept up in the kitchen and sat at the table next to me. I was on my computer paying bills while the brothers napped.

Sensing he was looking for something to do I smirked and said, “Hey Josh, I bet you’d like to do the dishes right about now.”

“Sure. I’d love to do the dishes. It’s my favorite thing, you know.”

Ummmmm. OK. I didn’t expect that response.

For someone who had never done the dishes, he seemed awfully sure of how much he’d like it.

And now I was stuck. I had to teach him how to do the dishes.

I looked over at the pile nervously. My ocd tendencies were screaming “ARE YOU KIDDING ME? HE’S FIVE!! HE’LL BREAK THE DISHES!!! AND HE WON’T ACTUALLY GET THEM CLEAN!!!”

Then realistic Sara steps in and said, “Ummmm…. you break way more dishes than they do.”

It’s my favorite thing, you know.” Ummmmm. OK. I didn’t expect that response.

So I took a deep breath.

“Sure honey, let me teach you how.”

I looked in the sink and took mental note of how to make this manageable for a five-year-old. I made sure there was no glass. I grabbed the stool and slid it over. I grabbed a salad bowl and threw all of the silverware in there. I showed him how to clean each piece of silverware with a scrubber and put it in the dishwasher.

He diligently scrubbed and did it all at his own pace. He asked to clean more.

So I gave him a few more pieces from the other side.

I sat down and my eyes glazed over as I saw my little boy as a little human with little responsibilities. Where had my little boy gone?

He wiped his hands on his shorts. “OK, Mom, I’m done! Can I go play Curious George games now?”

There he is. Whew. For a minute I thought he had washed down the drain with the dirty water.

“At what point,” I thought to myself, “will he think this isn’t fun anymore?” What an ugly thought. I decided to file that away under “Santa Claus,” and the “Easter Bunny” in the dark recesses of my mind, and instead, pondered the bright future of endless chores for my task-oriented first born.

But what is the highest priority on that list?

Of course, you guessed it: Teaching his brother how to do the dishes.