My 7 Year Old Does Her Own Laundry
By: Jamie Siebens
Tags: Life Lessons, Childhood, Life Skills, Kids, Parenting

My 7 Year Old Does Her Own Laundry

What does a magical childhood look like, anyway?

My nine year old finished flipping the last of the pancakes, unplugged the griddle, and grinned. “We’re learning some great life skills, aren’t we mom?”

This was the first time she had made pancakes on her own from start to finish, carefully measuring ingredients, mixing the batter, and spooning it into messy rounds on the sizzling pan.

Meanwhile, her younger sister tossed the fruit salad she’d concocted — choosing, washing, and chopping all of the fruit without help.

I sipped my coffee, watching in awe as our weekend 'special breakfast' basically made itself.

Later, both kids lugged their weekly loads of laundry down the stairs, and washed, dried, and put away their own clothes. They’ve each been doing this since they were seven.

Now, to you, this might seem like child labor — my personal failure to provide a good life for my children.

If that resonates, you’re definitely not alone. The idea that childhood should be magical and carefree is certainly popular.

“My teenage son really wants to get a job this summer but I won’t let him,” a friend told me. “He’ll have the rest of his life to be employed, I want him to enjoy what’s left of his childhood.”

And this article that recently crossed my newsfeed, stating:

“I want to serve my children as much as I can before each goes off to college because I get to every day now. I get to make his favorite foods. I get to create his perfect plate and hand it to him with a smile. Soon he will be off on his own to make all his own meals anyway, but no matter what age he is, I will always serve him. In serving my kids, I’m teaching them how to care for another person.”

While I can see the reasoning behind this, I can’t really agree. Entering adulthood with zero work experience hardly feels like a gift. And though it could be loving to offer a resort-like childhood, I have a different perspective.

I’m spoiling my kids by giving them the skills they’ll need in the future, today.

If I could give my children any one thing, it would be confidence — the certainty that they have what it takes to succeed in the big, scary, adult world.

This confidence comes from having a broad skill set and a growth mindset, knowing that, come what may, you have the ability to learn whatever you need to tackle life.

This is the gift I’m giving my children.

Furthermore, I don’t believe that cultivating life skills and having a magical childhood are mutually exclusive.

No, doing your own laundry isn’t always magical. But knowing you can launder your favorite t-shirt any time you need to is nice. And the many weekend mornings we’ve spent side-by-side at the kitchen island learning to crack eggs, measure flour, and flip pancakes together have been pretty magical.

Raising self-sufficient kids also means that I don’t have to spend all my time as a laundress, dishwasher, and short-order cook. It frees me up for a multitude of things — self-care, rounds of Uno and Phase 10, and slow Saturday mornings snuggled on the couch.

My nine-year-old, cozied up next to me, just sighed in contentment. “I love these weekend mornings, mom.”

Parent how you want, but that sounds pretty magical to me.