Week Eight: Privileges and Responsibilities for a 2 year old - it's real

Okay, so Fiora, at two (and a quarter), is officially too young for proper privileges and responsibilities via Parenting on Track.

And yet, at a very basic level, she did an approximation of privileges and responsibilities this past week.

She's really keen on doing the stuff we adults do. One of the things we do that she's particularly interested in (it involves water, which is inherently fascinating) is wash dishes. So finally, we brought over her stool and let her mess around with some carefully selected dirty dishes in the kitchen sink. A day or two later, I noticed she was spilling so much water right in front of the sink that the counter was warping, so I emphasized to her that that area needed to stay dry. To be honest, I didn't really thing that would work, but though she did need several reminders, she's gotten progressively more precise with where the water goes. Then she started gunning the water, really turning the pressure up all the way. It gave me the jitters just to hear all that water pouring down the drain (ideas of waste, even though she was allowed to play with the water running for quite a while!). So I told her that I could not tolerate that, for me to feel comfortable with her playing/washing in teh sink, she needed to keep the water at a moderate flow. I didn't really think that would work either, but for 24 hours she was intently working on getting the water JUST RIGHT, and dang if she doesn't do a perfectly lovely job.

So, for now, she's earned her right to wash certain dishes in the sink. Next, to earn the right to put them in the drying rack! Well, I'm in no rush about that....

Even though Fi doesn't fit in the typical category of kids who really benefit from this, I'm still curious what her privileges are, so here goes:

Can feed the dogs treats (but not their raw food)
Can brush mama's hair (as long as she's gentle)
Can "wash" dishes and hands in the sink (after we check the sink for its contents, remove all skanky dishes and sharp or heavy objects) (as long as the water is run at a moderate pressures, and water is kept primarily inside the sink, and the water is turned off when she's done)
Can brush her own teeth (as long as she puts her cup and toothbrush back on the counter when she's done)
Can access the silverware drawer (as long as it's contents are kept neat)
Can access the refrigerator contents (as long as she shuts the door when she's done)
Can access the trashcan (as long as she shuts the cabinet door)
(Hm, perhaps I should use "may" instead of "can"...)
May sleep in a big girl bed (as long as she stays asleep)
May help mama with the laundry (as long as she "folds" the clothes with me)
May help parents with the cooking (as long as she respects the knives and hot things, and as long as she asks to do things before acting)

May watch some Wiggles or Blue's Clues on the internet (with permission; only once a day - hm, no responsibilities for this one!)
May go outside in the yard (doesn't do this much right now, in the winter; no responsibilities - maybe I should teach her to pick up dog poop!)
May eat meals from an adult chair (no responsibilities)
May eat meals without a bib (no responsibilites)
May access her own books (i wish she were responsible about putting them back...but we could do that)
May access her own toys (I wish she were responsible about putting them back...again something we could work on)

Wow, those are real lists! I didn't realize how we really do have expectations for what means she's allowed to do stuff. Or the contrast with those things that are not associated with responsibilities. I like the idea of thinking about this stuff, esp the second list, and maybe changing how we think about them, and how some of her books/toys are set up.