The Exhilaration of Clean Laundry

OK, so maybe my title is a bit dramatic, but I strongly feel that we can derive, well, if not exhilaration, certainly gratification from a pile of freshly laundered and folded laundry. And your student needs to know this feeling as well. Not just for your sake, but for theirs.

Routine tasks, such as laundry, preparing a balanced meal, or cleaning a bathroom, may not be glamorous or resume-worthy, but they are necessary. They are the day-to-day functions that we have to work into our schedules, whether we like it or not. And we can choose to focus on the drudgery or we can choose to see each one as a means of accomplishing a small, but perhaps a meaningful contribution to organizing and maintaining ourselves, and keeping ourselves whole and moving forward.

Once your student is in college, they will be responsible for these essential tasks - not only for doing them but for planning for when they will do them, for gathering the tools for them, and for carrying them out effectively. Practicing them at home, NOW, when they are in the safety of their home, and can ask for guidance (Do wool sweaters go in the dryer? Should I wash this in hot or cold?) is the best way to get them started. Learning how to apportion their time to include these tasks gives them this skill that they will carry with them to college as well.

You may feel as though you’re piling on more work for them unnecessarily. But no - you’re doing them a favor. You are teaching them that they are responsible, capable, and worthy of learning this skill. They will be in the habit of doing laundry for themselves and it will not be difficult for them to continue this when they arrive at college. You will also be giving them the gift of gratification for being responsible for that beautiful, freshly laundered, neatly folded pile of laundry.