I Never Have to Do Dishes Again

I recently discovered a way to entertain and delight my children, while also getting some help in the kitchen. 

I let them wash dishes in the sink by hand. 

I don’t give them anything fragile.   But at almost 3 and almost 5, they are quite capable of scrubbing pots and pans or large bowls…things I can’t squeeze into the dishwasher. 

They beg me for the opportunity and it keeps them content for up an hour. I figure I gotta take advantage of this while I can…having my kids beg for the chance to do the dishes is not something I anticipate lasting forever.  

I’ve learned a few tricks to keep this successful.

• One child is on dish duty at a time.  (2 preschoolers at the sink is recipe for trouble). 
• Be prepared to go through more than your usual amount of soap.  Seems the kids think you need a LOT of soap to clean those pots.
• I limit them to two or three dishes.  I don’t want them to be overwhelmed or to get bored…bored kids armed with the spray house is another hazard.
• Remove any important papers at least 3 feet away from the sink…splashing is par for the course.
• Sometimes you gotta spot check them b/c even though they scrub that pot for 30 minutes, they can still miss quite a few spots.  (I typically sit them on the counter to dry and to a quick touch up later when they aren’t around)  They are still getting most of the hard work out of the way with all that soaking. 

My son told me last week, “Mom, you never have to do dishes again.”  …If I could just get that in writing.

Check out Rocks in My Dryer for more helpful hints.