Our Little Helper

Sunflower has always been a very helpful little girl.  Sometimes a little too helpful.  As soon as she could walk if she recognized the word you said she would go get the item--shoes, socks...laptops.  She is very quick to obey (if it means to help) and very insistent on her brother's obeying also.

"Come!  Clean-up!  Time to Eat!"  Yes, she says it all at the top of her lungs while tugging on their shirts, pants, hand, or neck.

She is only trying to help him stand here, but she is often pushing or pulling them around and shouting at them our latest instructions.  We are trying to stop this bossiness, but I'm thinking it will probably only get worse.  Especially since it is hard to reprimand her when if they would just do what I asked right away...

So I love having such a helpful girl, and I want to encourage her help with chores and housework, but it isn't always a good thing.  At times it is a real problem.  Like the time she brought me the garbage from her bedroom because it "full--take out!"  She didn't spill any of the dirty wipeys and night-time pull-ups, but eeeew!  Let Dad do the garbage, baby!

Or last week when Oak had put a stack of plates on the table for the boys to spread around for dinner.  Sunflower gets to spread the forks.  They didn't hear and come, so Sunflower decided to help.  She is a little short for the job.  She tilted the plates to reach the top one and down came 5 plates onto the floor and her feet.  5 of our 12 everyday Mickey Mouse dinner plates.  She was okay with one long but shallow gash on her big toe (which we didn't find until later when we realized her sock was red--bad, bad parents!).  However, 2 of the plates were shattered beyond use and one has a pretty bad chip.  Not bad considering, but scary, loud, and very upsetting to all.*  It took awhile to calm down Sunflower and Huckleberry (he came in just as it happened and said he was screaming and crying because one of the things that scares him the most is the idea of Sunflower being hurt; how sweet is that?).

Does anyone have some ideas on how to channel her energy?  She helps fold laundry, can get the laundry from the dryer, puts away her socks and underwear, cleans up toys, spreads out forks and napkins, and fetches things.  What other age appropriate chores are there for a 2 1/2 year old?  I do not want to waste her enthusiasm; I know it will wane soon enough.

*I would be proud at how not upset I am about the loss of my dishes but I'm pretty sure I've just transferred my material possession obsession to my camera.  It does sound more Spiritual to say I'm not replacing the dishes right now because we don't need them and we remember the friend who came into our home and said "wow, all of your dishes match each other...and your forks, too!"  In reality it is because I'd rather have a new lens than a new plate.  Sigh.