Mr. Handy Man

At nearly eighteen months Eskil's favorite thing to do these days is imitate. He imitates Eirena drawing and writing. He imitates our games with him (need a warm body for duck duck goose or ring around the rosie? he'll happily comply). He imitates us doing squats and pilates 100 (yes, really, and it is cute) or playing boardgames (give him a piece and he happily taps away like he is counting spaces). He also likes to "help" around the house. Time to unload the dishwasher? Eskil is right there to hand each and every item to you. (He keeps you on task, that boy.) A mess on the floor? He is ready with the broom and dust pan (never mind that he might actually make the mess more widespread, his heart was in the right place).
And my favorite... he helps mop the floor. I dare not leave a dish cloth on the counter to dry because Eskil is quick fingered. He pulls it down and starts mopping for me. On mopping day, he is the most eager participant. (Considering his siblings are expected to help when they would rather do any number of other things, that isn't saying much.) But he is ready with his rag and anxious not to be left out. He actually does get some of the fur off the ground and when it is time to rinse the rags he is there. Take his rag away from him and he protests vociferously. His skill may not quite match his enthusiasm at this point, but I figure if I can cultivate this love of mopping floors, I will have earned some pretty good brownie points with my future daughter-in-law.