Job shadowing: housekeeping (at home and the planet)

Our country enjoys a special occasion where millions of employees participate in what was originally called “Take Our Daughters to Work Program” which later became more inclusive. The idea was to instill confidence in girls where research found them to be lacking and underperforming subsequently dropping out by the time they reach high school. This one-day job shadowing program has innumerable benefits and even though my daughter is only 8 years-old, she has accompanied me to work unofficially when I needed to drop in the few times I couldn’t find childcare arrangements. My co-workers are familiar with my daughter’s infrequent visits and they help keep her occupied with whiteboard doodles and other stationery fun.

She is aware of the workplace and fully understands the concept of a day job to make money. She also realizes that living with me, there’s no such thing as gender based roles. We do all the chores from kitchen and laundry duties to yard and car maintenance. For some of the more repetitive and time consuming cleaning duties, I am fortunate enough to be able to hire a housekeeper to help on a regular basis. We practice job shadowing at home, too and I expect my daughter to clean her room before our housekeeper shows up. My daughter knows that tidiness of her room is still her responsibility and having help doesn’t abdicate her own duties. She completely owns the responsibility of her tidy room and all associated aspects of pet care. Occasionally, she will even assist our housekeeper with vacuuming and dusting, although these engagements are short lived because her helping actually takes more time. But it is important for the child to understand that housekeeping, upkeep and other sanitation responsibilities are shared and important skills they will use throughout their lives.

Housekeeping, whether it is inside or outside, is a matter of perspective and scale. We all live in the same house; a sealed terrarium called Earth. Cleaning up one’s house is just a small step toward cleaning up our greater environment. Encourage this generation to reaching for the stars, but they first have to see through the smog. Having the lofty idea of transitioning from carbon-based to renewables energies and ultimately to fusionable fuels means this generation must first be grounded in both thought and action on the most simple of ideas: cleanliness.

This fact is also not lost at her school either. Her Eco Club often engages in recycling efforts and general yard waste collection from school property including the nearby park. This type of team function teaches the value of collective work that benefits everyone. They contribute joyfully knowing that giving nature a helping hand results in a better community for all to appreciate.  These types of activities continue to nurture the young environmentally-conscious mind. Coupled with studies of ecology, sciences, and other knowledge-based disciplines, children can easily be encouraged to participate in greening activities like tree planting, community gardens and water purification projects. They could even be inspired to solve real problems like contamination controls including emissions and plastics pollution.

Housekeeping, whether it is inside or outside, is a matter of perspective and scale. We all live in the same house: a sealed terrarium called Earth. Like the concept of karma, what we put out eventually comes back. Admittedly, while some of the tasks are not all clean and enjoyable, in short order, it will be very evident that the avoidance of regular maintenance and care will result in the herculean task that will neither be pleasant nor incremental.

Cleaning up one’s house is just a small step toward cleaning up our greater environment. Instilling the mindset of environmentalism doesn’t mean switching to a vegan diet and demanding the immediate cessation of fossil fuels. Rather, it means being mindful of the terrarium we all live as there is no Plan B. While I encourage this generation to reach for the stars, they first have to see through the smog. Having the lofty idea of transitioning from carbon-based to renewables energies and ultimately to fusionable fuels means this generation must first be grounded in both thought and action on the most simple of ideas: cleanliness. And it all starts at home.