Our daughter Melody, who teaches music in an American School on Grand Cayman Island with her husband, who is also a music teacher, is a prolific FaceBook poster. The other day she showed a picture of her weekend laundry project – a fairly good-sized pile of clothes that accumulate when you have two working parents and two active daughters. The post prompted this exchange between me and one of her friends:
Melody’s friend: Our current issue is that Jack has more dirty clothes than Geoff and I combined! I keep threatening to make him do his own laundry…
Me: I’m Melody’s father… Ask Melody when she started doing her own laundry. If Jack is tall enough to reach the controls, having him do his own laundry is not a threat; it’s training.
Melody’s friend: Many years ago my mom accurately accused me of doing too much for my kids. As a raging perfectionist, it always seemed better/easier just to do it myself. Ugh. Jack has to learn at some point…I have three years to prepare him to live on his own! Bob — I love that perspective 
Me: Thanks, Susie. When we dropped Melody off at college for the first time, there were mothers trying to teach their daughters how to use the washing machine. 
Ask any of our four grown-up offspring what one of our mottos was:
This is a house, not a hotel for children.
Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord. (Ephesians 6.4, NIV)
Good stuff Bob. My wife homeschooled three children of our own and we had then doing their own laundry by the 4th grade. Thanks for bringing this life lesson back to memory.
If only parents would train up their children in these ways today. . . Keep up the good works!
You, too, James. Thanks!
Amen & amen!!