A Cup in my Hamper

I once read in a magazine how it's a good thing to teach your children while they are young, the value of helping out with chores. It instills responsibility, a sense of accomplishment, and well, an extra hand around the house...NOT! I taught my almost two year old, how to use the laundry chute in the bathroom--definitely one of the worst decisions I've made as a parent.

Don't get me wrong, my son does throw the dirty clothes down the chute. He wobbles into the bathroom, opens up the cabinet door and slides any clothes lying on the floor down the chute. Yes, a big help. The problem is he does not stop there. Anything and everything that is on the floor gets thrown down the chute. Towels that have fallen from the hook, my bathroom rugs, rolls of toilet paper, cleaning supplies that are under the sink(I know they should be locked up in some liquor cabinet somewhere), and yes, a cup. Pretty much anything that is on the floor in any room is game. And with three kids, there are a lot of things on the floor in every room in my house.

The problem is I typically don't realize that he's thrown anything unusual down the chute, until it's already in my laundry pile and then often in my washer, right along with my kid's undies. Go Kenmore! They really do stand up to anything! Let that be a lesson to you all...chores are not really meant for any age. I know we're all anxious to instill hardcore values, but we've got to set some age limits.
I'm not even going to begin to tell you how he washes the dishes...