On Their Level

First, I want to start by saying that I’m not even close to having it all together. And nobody really does, if you need that reminder. We are all just falling short in different ways. And if someone thinks they have it all together, a season of humility is likely just down the road. And that’s okay, because perfection is not the goal of this life. We aren’t striving to attain complete lack of tension and inconvenience. However, because God has made us creative and thoughtful beings, in those seasons of tensions and struggles, our eyes are often opened to how things can be better. And that friends is a beautiful gift, the ability to feel the constraints or difficulties of something and reassess and pivot.

A lot of the things I talk about on here are born out of those seasons, those struggles. It’s a victory that we’ve found after 10-20, or maybe even 100, losses. I share these things in hopes that you can benefit from the work we have put into figuring out these solutions, to save you the trouble.

Now to the point of this post… One thing I’ve never regretted about our kitchen use in this house is giving our kids a drawer at their level, with all of their dishes. Now, have there been times that we’ve had 12 reusable straws and 10 cups to wash because of it? Yes! Do I ever regret it? No! The independence it affords them and the help it provides me is so so valuable. There are times I don’t even have to assist them in getting a snack because the snacks are at their level in the pantry, too. They love being able to grab their grab own dishes. It gives them ownership by putting some of the responsibility in their hands, while also saving me some work.

Their drawer is the one in the middle and that’s how it’s laid out inside. This was taken in the afternoon so they’d already gone through most of their plates and a lot of their bowls. But every morning after the dishwasher is unloaded they have a full stack of each. Right now the spoons and forks are together, but as I’m writing this, I wonder if it might be helpful to them if I put another small basket in there and separated them. I’m going to consider that! Although, it is a precious sight to watch my two year old meticulously dig through that basket to find a fork. So, so sweet. And yes, even my two year old gets her own stuff out. She’s the best actually at just bringing us a plate and fork to communicate that she’s starving and can’t wait any longer for dinner to be ready, ha.

I do understand that toddlers all have different dispositions and inclinations. If yours is inclined to pull out everything in a drawer, and he or she is your only child, it may not be worth moving it to their level. But, if there are older kids in the house, as difficult as those first few days may be, I think it’s definitely worth training your little one not to pull everything out. You can do this by having them put back anything they pull out, or have them practice pulling only one thing out. And by practice I mean repeat the process over and over and over and over. They’ll eventually come around to it.

Here’s another angle so you can see the drawer. It’s the middle one to the left. I will say it’s slightly annoying if I’m chopping something there and they need to get into the drawer. So if you have options, consider that when you pick the location of their stuff.

Also, this was an exceptionally clean kitchen day because I wanted to take a picture before I added some personality to the space. I’ll have to show you that later! But don’t you dare compare your everyday kitchen state to this picture, because this is not the everyday state of mine either! But, can we talk about what an amazing job my sweet friend and homeowner of this space did designing this kitchen?!? It’s such a gift to spend time in such a bright and cheery space as I do the mundane and laborious tasks of caring for this precious family of mine.

If I didn’t have a drawer that worked, because I know that isn’t always an option, I would use a shelf on a lower cabinet. It’s been that much of a game changer that I don’t think we will ever change having it on a lower level as long as there are kids under 5 ft in our house. (At least, I think. I’m not actually sure at what height they will be able to reach the uppers.)

If you decide this change, let me know how it goes! Also, always free to ask any questions you have as you try to figure out stuff like this in your own space.