On 'folding laundry with a toddler'

He surprised me!

“Daddy, can you play with me?”

My 3.5 years old boy asked me in his innocent voice.

I was folding laundry. A week’s worth, and I was close to DONE.

So, I’d two choices.
a) Let him in and watch a folded pile turn into a mess.
b) Play with him.

I choose second.

We played two games. He wanted more.
But I had laundry to finish, so back I went.

He couldn’t let me go..he came back.

Same proposal.
Same hopeful little face.
"PLAY WITH ME!!!!"

I resisted. Kept quite.

Suddenly his mood changed: “I also wanna fold laundry..”

My fear was about to turn into reality.

If you’re a toddler parent, you know they want to do what you’re doing. But you resist.

You say no. Not because you don’t love them. Because you’ve done the maths and it doesn’t add up.

Folding laundry, in your head, becomes a disaster waiting to happen.

They’ll grab a shirt. Throw it. Sit on the pile. All that effort, gone in ten seconds.

But this time, something nagged in me. So, I let him fold with me instead.

I braced for the mess. Clothes everywhere. A small storm near the sock drawer.

Surprisingly….that didn’t happen.

He followed what I told him. Folded properly. Didn’t touch the pile we’d already done.

I just stood there. Shocked. Not at him. At myself.

I was still seeing him as the kid who wrecks things for fun. That kid had quietly grown up. I just hadn’t caught up.

Weird, right?

You think your kid’s skills are stuck in one place. They’re not.

Kids keep changing every single day. They grow so fast. Most of us are still picturing the old version.

Here’s the harder truth I realised in the moment:

If you don't include them when they're little, how do expect to be included when they're older.

Invite them into what you're already doing.

Bring them to the garage, let them sit in the office, have them ride along, teach them how to grill.

Let them help, even though it might slow you down.

It makes their whole day just to be with you.

If you don't take interest in what they care about, or include them in what you care about, when they're teenagers, they won't include you either.

Kids need dedicated time with their parents.

Start early, be intentional.

When they’re young, it doesn’t take much effort from your side. Access later is earned now.

Cheers to the laundry. It survived. So did the relationship.