PrincipledMom™

My family is benefitting from the changes I've implemented from Managers of Their Homes (MOTH). One change is that we have added a "training" time. This is a small block of time where I can teach stuff they need to learn, like the proper way to wash your hands, shake out a rug or sweep a floor. This has been a great time for us together.

We were folding laundry this week and I was demonstrating the way we fold towels and clothes. I discussed why we fold things the way we do but that other people have their own way too. So we moved on to shirts. I was showing 7dd and 5dd how to fold a shirt. My 5dd said, "So you just hold it to your heart like this." She stretched out the shirt against her body, with her little arms stretched wide. I asked what she meant. "Like this mom, with the neck against your heart." Well, it's not exactly the way I showed them, but I thought it was really profound. Laundry is a loving task that should have "heart" in it.

When I do laundry and other "mundane" tasks, I am blessing my family. I am touching their clothes, holding them close to me and carefully folding them so they will have clean clothes to wear. I am smoothing their sheets so they will have a warm bed to sleep in. I chop vegetables and meat so they will have healthy bodies. I scrub their little heads so their hair will be clean. Each task is a labor of love, coming from my mother's heart through my hands. I hope they know that somehow.

So yes, I do hold the clothes close to my heart. And try not to think about the day when they won't need me to fold their clothes anymore. Then they will fold the clothes of someone they love and hold them close. And maybe I'll bring my laundry over to their house for a change!

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