This morning, I read a post on Threads about teaching kids to notice the housework. Not just do the housework, but notice that things need to be done.
I realised this is an issue with so many people, including me. And it seems to be common in the autism & ADHD community.
Things need doing around the house, and we just don’t notice.
We don’t see the dirty socks that need to be put in the washing basket.
We don’t see the bins that need to be emptied.
We don’t notice the dirty mugs on the coffee table that need to be put in the kitchen sink.
We simply don’t notice.
This is where lists help adults as well as children as they remind us what we need to notice, however if something isn’t on that list, we may not notice.
This is also where having a cleaner helps so much, as the cleaner is able to notice things that I don’t, because it’s their job to notice.
As a mum, I used to get really annoyed when my adult children didn’t notice things, same when I was married to their dad, he didn’t notice things that needed doing. I would put things in place to make it easier for them to notice things… like putting a dirty washing basket in their bedroom so they could put those dirty clothes in a tub rather than the one in the laundry… but it was me that noticed that they weren’t noticing!
I know that I struggle to notice things, even as an adult. And when I do notice them, I don’t always have the energy or the executive functioning to do them, so it may seem they go unnoticed…
For example, right now, I notice the sheets that need folding and putting away, I notice the dishes in the sink that need washing, but I know I need to go and have a shower and get dressed first…
The first step to getting anything done is to notice it needs doing.
The next step is the doing, and there are times when the transition from the first to second step is harder than it may appear…
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