washing the car

It was a hot day yesterday, so our two youngest kids (ages 6 and 8) decided to help me by washing the minivan. I’d had a vague notion yesterday afternoon that they were happily engaged, but I didn’t know what they were doing. This morning as I was backing out of the driveway to take them to school I looked into the rearview mirror and wondered why the window was so cloudy. Then I realized that all the windows except the windshield (which they couldn’t reach) had a film of dishwashing liquid over them. I explained to them that they should get adult supervision next time.

Kids love to do “adult” work: washing, cooking, cleaning. Their minds engage, enjoy and explore things that adults would call mundane chores. But who has the better perspective? Our adult labels suck what Kathleen Norris calls “the quotidian mysteries” out of the work that God has given us to do (if you say “quotidian” instead of “everyday” you’ll be sure to impress or at least confuse your friends).

Adam and Eve were given work to do in the Garden of Eden before they sinned. Work is a gift from God. Everyday work never ends, reflecting, in a weird way, the eternal nature of God. Household activities such as cleaning and cooking are ways of sustaining the life that is also a gift from God. They can be ways to love God and each other. Ephesians 6:6 tells us that our work should be offered “heartily” to God. (KJV) And who can reject a well-cooked meal offered in love? Many of our parents don’t know any other way to say “I love you” than to over-feed us and clean up after us when we come over for dinner.

It’s true that adults need to teach kids how to do properly various everyday life-sustaining activities such as cooking and cleaning. I try to show my kids how to do things efficiently and effectively. But in the process of teaching I need to be careful that my attitude toward the work doesn’t demean the work itself or the people who have come to be characterized by that work (housecleaners, car wash attendants, cooks, etc.).

So I’m thankful that my kids still enjoy some kinds of everyday work, even when it gives me more work to do. I cleaned off the minivan windows when I got back home as a way of loving my kids and thanking God for his quotidian blessings. And I made a mental note to show them how to properly wash a car.