Roman loves to help me with chores around the house.  When FreshDirect comes, he is all over those boxes, eager to reach inside and hand me each grocery item, one at a time.  Likewise, if I’m unloading the dishwasher, he’ll come over, pull each of the dishes out, and hand them up to me.  Occasionally he’ll help me to wipe things down.  We even got him his own mini Dyson to match ours so that he can vacuum right alongside me.  He used to squeal in delight every time we brought ours out and did the same thing the first time he saw his–might be the best toy we’ve gotten him to date.

Some of the ways in which he helps are more helpful than others, though.  While he’s great at unloading the dishwasher, he’s not so great at leaving it loaded as I’m trying to fill it.  Over time we arrived at a compromise: he leaves the dishes, pots, and pans alone, but the utensil rack is fair game.  So, while I’m carefully arranging glasses and bowls, Roman pulls all of the utensils out of the holder…and does this.

It’s kind of impressive, no? Gotta love how his toys make it into the mix as well.

The challenge comes when the dishwasher is otherwise full and it’s time to put the forks and spoons back in.  There are occasionally some tears, but I’ve learned to negotiate with him.  Usually we trade whichever utensil he’s coveting at the moment for a comparable clean one from the drawer.

One day I’m sure he’ll be able to load the dishwasher like a champ, spatulas and all, but for now this is pretty darn adorable.  And it makes him so happy.  Those blurry hands in the last shot? He’s giving himself a round of applause.