Audrey has become quite the little helper lately, and not just in the 3-year old “Let me do it” sense.  She really has wanted to have some responsibility around this place, and I, quite frankly, couldn’t agree more.

I know this all stems from preschool and what her class calls “helping hands”.  Every day she goes, children are assigned different tasks to help out in the classroom.  Not every child gets a job every day, but when they do, they are overjoyed.  Some of their “helping hands” positions include Line Leader (self-explanatory), Milk Helper (pass out milk and napkins during snack), Snack Helper, and Zebee feeder (the pet bird).  I know there are others, but the ones I mentioned are the highest sought after positions in the class.  So far, Audrey likes being the milk helper the best. 

At home, her newest job is setting the table.  There are a couple of things about setting the table that I must admit. One, we never set the table in this house.  I usually dole out dinner on the counter and then bring it to the table.  We’re responsible for our own drinks, so I don’t set out glasses either.  Two, this idea was Audrey’s and Audrey’s alone.  So now every night we have to have a formal setting at dinner, complete with Kleenex.  We have napkins that go on our chairs and the Kleenex sets atop our plates.  Do you think we’ve been suffering from runny noses enough around here? 

Setting the table is a rather tedious process even for just three people.  You see, Audrey doesn’t take more than one item to the table at a time.  Just imagine the number of trips she has to make to bring plates, forks or spoons (I won’t let her carry the knives yet), napkins, cups, and yes, Kleenex. 

Tonight she asked for milk at dinner so I poured her little cup and she walked it over to her setting.  Then she asked if she could carry the bottles to the table.  “What bottles?” I asked her.  “The bottles you and daddy drink from” she replied.  We had beer with dinner on Tuesday night.  I told her we wouldn’t be drinking from bottles tonight and then gave her two glasses of water to set next to our place settings.  She was ecstatic to be carrying GLASSES and not just a plastic cup.

I never thought I’d get so much pleasure out of watching my little one bust her tail, but I think it’s just great.  She’s obviously picking up on things at school, she’s learning about responsibility at home, and she takes great pride in her work.  Plus, I know when she’s busy being mommy’s helper, she’s not in the other room making a mess (which she calls decorating). She sets a mean table (complete with Kleenex), but she hasn’t quite mastered the art of picking up after herself.