I am about to introduce you to a game that will open you up to a whole new world of parenthood. It may not be politically correct, it may not be socially acceptable and it may not be feminist approved, but it will change your life. Are you ready?
It’s a little game we like to call “Maid,” and it’s pretty much the best thing ever.
How does it work, you ask? It’s easy. First, your child will need to don an apron. Next, you’ll need to assign a name to allow the child to get into character. Then? Let the child lose in a messy room. Finally, take a deep breath and watch the magic happen.
Encourage your maid to fold clothes. Sweeping, scrubbing and organizing are all fair game. Engage him or her in conversation: Where do you live? What’s your house like? Who taught you how to fold? Etc. Invite them over for dinner as thanks. Hum a little “Whistle While You Work.” Toss them a few bucks for going above and beyond.
You must be careful not to overuse the game, or the novelty wears off. Save it for the biggest of messes, sit back and enjoy.
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HA! I can’t wait until mine is old enough to play this game. All she’s good at right now, being 1, is playing the role of Destroyer!
Sydney recently posted..Day 28: 30 Day Meme
Oh my God. How young is too young to play this game? because I think Tori needs to learn it immediately. I suppose she needs to learn to talk first?
amber recently posted..The Stairs: My New Worst Enemy.
Thank you, indeed! Perfection, we’ll get working on that right away. Potty training can wait.
guarros recently posted..wordless wednesday
I also play the “Happy Little Working Song” from the movie Enchanted. “Bunnies and fawns and bluebirds haven’t showed up to help? It just means you’re not working hard enough!”
Rachael recently posted..The List: Good Company
Ohhhhh, that’s a good one!! I’ll need to add that to our repertoire!
I wish I would have seen this a few years ago, fabulous discovery in parenting I must say. Hmmm, it makes me wonder if it will work on one messy 9 year old boy, this I must try ;)
Rachael, I agree using “Happy Little Working Song” is fun. I find it makes almost anyone happy and willing to work. Even the dirtiest houses. The game sounds like a fun way to get a child involved.
I love this game, it works especially well when played in teams consisting of 3 or more children, or when played with a teenager who can lift heavy bags of garbage :)
Casey recently posted..My Summer Goals & To-do List
My child gets really offended when I tell her people only have children in order to have little slaves to carry stuff.
Totally gonna play this game!! Thanks for sharing :)
Love it! Also works with “simon says”. I wonder, though–will this work on the husbands?
Crystal recently posted..TEARS for a Tiny Life Lost
Totally does not work with them. Trust me, I’ve tried.
Ummm…yes…love it! This reminds me of a recent post that I had up…they’re awesome little cleaners! Less detail-oriented than I, but still awesome!
http://thejoyofivf.blogspot.com/2010/06/and-clean-too.html
Rebecca recently posted..Friday Funyuns
GENIUS!
LOL. BRILLIANT!!! I have only done the “Waiter” game. I would love to try, although I am a bit worried that my youngest may get too enthusiastic about the costume… (NOT that I mind however things turn out, but my husb would not be pleased to say the least…)
subWOW recently posted..Sundays In My City
Thanks! Now I know what we’re doing tomorrow!
Evonne @ All You Need is Love recently posted..Lego Chronicles – Part 3
Oh, I know this game. I use it often. I also give my ‘maids’ wet clothes to wash the floor and the walls, they love it.
Jen recently posted..Sick Day
I reall should have read this earlier. Y’know…..before I did the tidying up. :-(
Mad Woman recently posted..The NNNs came to get me!!
Also, when they get older, we can have them pretend to work at the car wash, nanny services, pet-sitting….oh I can’t wait.
Crystal recently posted..TEARS for a Tiny Life Lost
Ohhhhh, yes!!! I do let my daughter play babysitter. It’s a tad dangerous, but well worth it.
I’ve played a version of this game with all 4 of my children. Play works great when all are of an age where they can all participate in some activity of one kind or another. Then u have a “mansion” where-in u need a house keeper and a maid or more than 1 of each.
aaaaaaaaaaaaaahahahaha. I knew you were brilliant.
Julie recently posted..My Filing Cabinet.
We play this but the girls are Cinderella and I am the wicked step mother!! x
That’s even better! I love it!
Oh yes!! Sadie is finally getting old enough to play that game! She already loves dusting. I give her that swiffer duster thing and she goes to town. This makes me think that she is ready for your Maid Game!!
Rachel @ Mommy Needs a Vacation recently posted..Whine-a-Palooza
I can imagine this was one of those “angels singing and harps playing” kind of parenting moments.
How do you keep a straight face? I would laugh at the sight of my kids trying to fold.
It is. :) And, Lily is actually a decent folder. It helps that I suck, so my standards are low.
You are brilliant! That big purple Barney with his clean up song has nothing on you!
When we were little, Mom called this game “Cinderella” …later it was called “You don’t leave this room until its clean – even for dinner”
HAHA i was just remembering how my mom used to tell me that too! She fooled me =D
I wonder if I can get my oldest kid to play “accountant” and pay the bills?
Lynn from For Love or Funny recently posted..I’ve got a crush on my kid’s teacher
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAA!!!
I hum the “First you pick it up, then put it in the bag. Boom boom!” (from Walt Disney cartoon) song when I clean my playroom. My kids only clean when they want something… I let them!
It’s more fun to watch them clean, isn’t it?
M
Oh who doesn’t love this game!
You can also team up the childeren and have competition. He or she who did the best cleaning job gets his /her picture on the bulletin board as ‘employee of the month’.
Is there a Husband’s Version of this game? ‘Cause, dude…THAT, I could use. *sigh*
Hahaa!! GOLD! Love it.
I’m going to have to file this nugget of genius and and the ones in the comments for a couple of years. I’ll have 2 maids and a butler. I knew there was a reason I had kids.
Sarah recently posted..100 Things About Me
Cracked me up…as usual! Bravo! Since I have 3 kids, do you endorse playing chef and grounds crew, too?
Jessi Arias-Cooper recently posted..Mama’s Got a Facebook Page!
How do I get my 14 yr old & 10 yr old to play this game???? My 8 yr old is great at this game though!
that’s brilliant.
I could seet this working with the twins when they’re a little bit older. But Oliver is another story. Whenever I make cleaning a game, he thinks that we need to dump to toy box so we can “do it again.”
We started this at a little over 2! and it works like a charm. The kids LOVE to be maids and get a little dough. When a little novelty wore off – we got aprons. These are a big hit. They also LOVE their $1 cleaning supplies from Ikea. Since SOphia – now almost 4 – likes to “work” we made a job chart for her maid duties. It is awesome.
This game rocks…and yes…they also are learning to use tools and pull weeds. I may not have as many as the duggars but by golly these kids will help me run this house a little and learn some useful skills before I let them out of this house!
Great post as usual!
Brittany at Mommy Words recently posted..Riding the Bull at the Better-Than-A-Picnic
You are an evil genius, SM.
Ooh apron, nice touch! My 19-month old already plays maid (when she’s in the mood) quite well but it didn’t occur to me that she would enjoy it more with a uniform! Genius. You get the credit, but I get the clean house. Win win. Thanks!
Hmmmm ….so this game + the “let’s see who can be the quietest” game = Let’s see who can be the quietest maid. Could this really possibly work?
Mine’s not quite old enough for this stuff yet, but I’m definitely taking notes!
Dear Sydney recently posted..Daddy doesn’t speak spanish …
That’s the best idea EVER!!!
Awesome. I’m keeping this in mind for when my 1 month old has a little more neck control…fine motor skills…love it.
Tristan may not don an apron but he sure likes to pick up. On Valentine’s Day we left him in the nursery (we were at church for a dinner) and he cried and cried (until he threw up). Then he calmed down a bit and they realized that he kept picking up (whether it was because he knows that when he picks up we come or what, I don’t know). So they kept putting stuff down for him to pick up. I think it’s smart.
S Club Mama recently posted..weekend update
LOL, I would love to try this, but I think my 14 yo will catch on a bit quickly. Besides, no self respecting teen would be caught in an apron now-a-days. :(
Maybe I can get ti to work on her little brother, but the results could be a bit scary.
NikkiFGL recently posted..Inbox Dollars
My 2 year old happily vacuumed our bedroom carpet yesterday using our handheld. It killed 2 birds with one stone – she entertained herself and I could tick a chore off my list!
21st Century Mummy recently posted..The Maldives: A Paradise For Babies And Toddlers
So fabulous. However, I am pretty sure I won’t be able to get my 12-year-old boy to don an apron…
BlissfulBabe recently posted..Paying It Forward
Jill- you only get more and more brilliant…. totally using this one asap– I mean – Male-maids are PC this day in age- right? cause we here in the complicated compound are for sure an equal opp. employer- and willing to hire my 5 yo son.
Corine recently posted..This is your brain on Trash-tastic Television. Any Questions?
That’s progressive! Go for it!
Ha! Great idea! We play “gardener” where L pulls my weeds. The child cannot walk by a weed without pulling it out. Not sure if “maid” would work, I think he might be on to me. The only way I can get him to clean up is to make it a race. If something is a race, he is damn sure going to win it!
Allison recently posted..Cow Says Moo
My mom used to call that game, “If you want to go to the swimming pool, pick up some Endust and get busy.”
Maid is awesome. Sadly, my toddler prefers to play “Hurricane”. Maybe I should adopt an eight year old?
My kids love to play Cinderella which is kinda the same thing except they want the way I tell them what to do to be mean – HAHA! I actually got a hand scrubbed dining room floor out of it, though. They thought that was TONS of fun.
Cranky Sarah recently posted..I don’t accept “Boys will be boys”
BRILLIANT!! I wonder if my boys would go for that?!?
Stephanie R recently posted..Gnome Friends!
I actually remember playing a game similar to this!!
Once my little guy is a little older, we will definitely be playing this game!
can you start this game while they’re still in diapers, maybe not quite walkin’?
cathyjoy recently posted..The Happiness Project
Start young- that’s the way to do it!
Hey, I wish my mom would have done it the way you describe here. Instead she said “Do It, Or Else!”
Never got a dime for doing chores. Yet, mom did make incredible cookies and she’d give us that and jello drink when we were done.
Yep, I said jello drink, not kool-aid. Mom said Kool-aid had too much sugar and no nutritional value to speak of. She thought jello had more, so she made it and we drank it before it jelled. Sometimes in the summer she’d blend it with homemade apple juice. So that was our payment sort of.
I LOVE this game! Okay, I haven’t played it yet with my 22-month old, however…as the oldest of three siblings, I quickly learned the value of harnessing the innocense of my baby brother. My sister and I would call him ‘slave boy.’ So PC, I know. And that’s exactly what he was. We would make him do EVERYTHING.
So it’s not just moms who enjoy the game. One day Lily will catch on, if she hasn’t already.
Love it! My son was pushing around a swiffer before he turned 2. He enjoys helping me clean (it’s quite bizarre actually). If milk spills out of his sippy cup, he yells “uh oh” and runs to grab a paper towel to wipe it up immediately. It’s too cute!
The only problem we’re having right now is that he likes to put clothing in the hamper. I have been noticing clean, folded clothes in the hamper lately…so we’re going to have to work on that! Also, when I wash…a few legos have been discovered! LOL!
Jessica recently posted..Please Teach Your Children About Differences
I love it, just love it.
I have a few more “games” that involve cleaning,
For your techie kid – robot cleaning machine powered by music (thier choice with in reason), it’s fun, they get to play robot, down side is if you hate their music choice
The color or shape or animan or what ever game.
I baby sit yournger kids, one to three years old, they are all learning shapes and colors and animals, so ten minutes before their mom’s get here, we play
“find the __________ and put it in the toy box.” They miss a few, but not many, and it’s educational, right?
Happy cleaning, kids.
This is the reason I love your blog so …it’s entertaining and educational! Brilliant idea — my son already loves the vacuum. Cleaning service here I come!
You are awesome enough to make it game. I,without shame, bribed my nephews from floor to ceiling if they kept their rooms clean. More cleanliness meant more treats. One is in his 20′s and the younger is almost 18. They are the neatest kids you have ever seen. Pigs in every other aspect of life Goddess love the little monsters but you could eat off the floor at their apartments they are so clean.
Playing “maid” sounds far more civilized than my game, which is called, “Pick this shit up before I throw it in the garbage and STOP asking me if you can play video games or I’ll take them away for a WHOLE WEEK.”
MamaCas recently posted..Irrational anger and blind rage…..Which stage of the grieving process would that be?
HA HA HA! Fantastic.
Bruna recently posted..3 DIAS!
This is awesome.
Political correctness is tyranny with manners. Can’t remember who said that, but I live by it.
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