A Plate Of My Own

We have eleven plate settings of Fiestaware, all different colors. Colors for our family and colors for quests. My set is white. My husbands set is blue. My oldest daughters is teal, my sons is green and my youngest daughters set is brown.  There are no more random dishes piling up in the sink.  Stacks of plates left on the counter, waiting to be washed later in the day, by someone else.  Now everyone in the family has their own dishes, to eat from and to wash.

If you want to eat your lunch on a plate, you have to wash your own plate from breakfast that you left on the table. The goal is for them to wash their dish right after they use it, and not come back to it later.

My father said to me before he died,  “The most important thing I want you to know is – make sure you get your birthday cards in the mail on time.”

I want my children to learn to wash their dishes right after they use them. There are natural consequences for not washing your dishes right away –  the food is usually dried on and is harder to clean. What could have been an easy rinse is now an intense episode of scrubbing.  The plate is really their life. Clean up after yourself, and don’t leave your messes for someone else. Be responsible.

What is the most important thing you want to teach your children, or your students?