Under all circumstances, it is my job to clean the kitchen; mainly that includes putting all the dirty dishes in the dishwasher, running it before I got to sleep, and emptying it the following morning. I do this so Nina doesn’t have to worry about it and can focus on other things like Niko. I don’t mind doing it and sometimes I am amazed at how many dishes and cups Nina and Niko use throughout the day and the places they are placed.
For the past few weeks, I have a helper in the kitchen. It’s not a woman and it’s not a loud cat. That leaves one person…NIKO!
Yes, Niko helps me in the kitchen and it’s really nice. When he sees either of us cooking or knows we are about to cook, he wants to help. And, we allow him to do it; always with adult supervision as we have a gas stove-top and fire is HOT.
He has a little yellow stool he stands on and he enjoys putting things in pots, pans, or the blender and has access to some spatulas for stirring. He also has his own drawer in the kitchen island and that is his place for straws, small plastic plates, a few real utensils, plastic bowls, and plastic cups with tops. Lately, though, Niko has been using glass bowls and plates and so far, he hasn’t dropped any of them on the floor.
When he spills crumbs which always happens on the floor, he sweeps it up with his little sweeper and dust pan. He puts his dirty dishes in the dishwasher; they may upside down, but at least, that are in the a better place than the sink or anywhere else.
That stool is also used so he can get to a taller vantage point in the fridge so he can see what he wants to not eat! The freezer is on the bottom and is reachable without a stool. Casually, he opens it up and gets a Popsicle and then get a plastic cup to place it in. If it’s a a chocolate one, it will sit in that cup until it melts. One day, when then three of us were outside doing some gardening in the warm sun, Niko came inside; I was right behind him. He grabbed three Popsicles and three cups for each of us and we enjoyed them on the front porch.
