One of my favorite things to receive is a hearty "Atta
boy". You know, the universal sign for a job well done. Especially if it
is accompanied by a well-earned pat on the head. Ok, I just realized that the
longer I go on, the more I sound like some weird kind of human-canine hybrid.
That's without me even talking about how sometimes when I get a nice head
scratch, my leg will start bouncing uncontrollably. Probably too much
information here.
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| If my ability to read lips isn't failing me, I think that guy is saying "Atta boy". |
Anyway, the point at hand is that I enjoy being told I've
done a good job whenever I've tackled a certain task. Bethany can definitely
attest to that being the case as I'm always certain to ask if she's noticed
when I've accomplished something during the day. In case you're wondering, her
answer is often something along the lines of "I just walked in the door
and don't even have my shoes off yet. How would I be able to tell that you made
the bed today?". She does have a point in that instance.
As time goes on, it's becoming more and more evident that
I'm not the only member of the Holt household who appreciates being told they
did a good job. As she's gotten older, Ellie has become much more likely to
want to echo whatever it is her mother and I are doing. In many cases, she does
so by assisting us with given tasks. I've previously written about her affinity
for doing laundry, but her desire to help goes beyond even that.
As Ellie has watched us in everyday life, she has become
pretty adept at understanding the purposes of varying objects and what they're
used for. Take garbage for example. Huh, what? As I'm cooking, it's fairly
normal for me to produce garbage of some kind. Sometimes it just the fat off a
piece of meat or undesirable sections of vegetables or fruit. Other times, it a
cardboard box or a tin can.
Whereas I used to just leave things like these sitting on
the counter until my given task was completed, I now find myself handling them
in a different manner. That is, throwing (or setting) it on the floor. Either
that or gently handing it to my daughter. What's that? You think that seems
counter-productive? I should be worried about bugs or making a mess? How lazy
am I? While I am unable to answer the last question of those three, the first
issue can be resolved very quickly.
As soon as Ellie notices said garbage, she is quick to pick
it up and clutch it in her hands. As recently as the past couple of weeks, that
would be a huge issue resulting in one of two things. Number one, she would run
around the house with her new treasure waving it happily above her head before
randomly leaving it. Number two is that she would simply shred it into 1,000
little pieces, all while laughing happily.
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| Somewhat akin to the look on Ellie's face during those instances. Actually I just stumbled across this pic and told myself I would find a way to use it despite all adversity in doing so. #Busey |
Now, instead of embracing her destructive instincts, Ellie
will simply pick up the object. Then, she will calmly walk to the garbage can
in the corner of the kitchen, manually lift the lid, and deposit the refuse
inside the bin. After that, she'll close the bin and turn back to Bethany or I
as if she's waiting for something. Finally, we will acknowledge her by thanking
her and telling her what a good helper she is.
Now, don't get me wrong, Ellie's not only helpful for
picking up trash. No, she also will clean up wet spots on the floor AND will
fill water glasses with ice cubes.
In all seriousness, I find it really cool to just watch as
Ellie is learning all of these simple parts of everyday life I tend to take for
granted. I don't know exactly how long she'll be into this phase of being
helpful, but I'm going to do everything I can to encourage her to try and make
it go a long time.
After all, that means a little less work for yours truly. Shouldn't
we all strive to work smarter, not harder. #DaddyWrite
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