Help Mommy Vacuum!

by Lois Breneman - 2005

Today my daughter shared a cute story with me about Justin Daniel, who just turned two years old.  He absolutely loves when she vacuums, and will push his own little vacuum back and forth intently behind her, saying, "Help Mommy vacuum!  Help Mommy vacuum!"  He loves to vacuum the steps with her hand held attachment or push any broom or duster around. 

A few days ago as Joy and Justin stopped at the vacuum outlet, she had to carry Justin into the store, because he had fallen asleep in the car.  Normally when he wakes up by himself he is a very happy little boy, but if he is woken up he can be quite grouchy.  Well, Joy carried him, half asleep, into the vacuum store, but when he looked around and saw all those vacuum cleaners, he said, "Ahhhhh!"  He wanted down and joyfully exclaimed, "One, two, three!  Oh my!!!"  By then he was walking around the store examining all the wonderful vacuums, talking non-stop saying, "Baby vacuum!  Big vacuum!  Help Mommy vacuum!  One, two, three - Oh my!"  The salesman told Joy there's another little boy who loves vacuum cleaners so much that he comes to the store every week just to play!  Justin thought he was in "Vacuum Cleaner Heaven," until his mommy had to carry him out of the store, crying!  I told Joy she's got it made!  He can do all her vacuuming some day, if she can just keep his interest going!  Of course, there are always family job charts too!  Justin's mommy knows all about those!

This reminds me of a grandson of friends of ours in town.  Morgan loved vacuum cleaners so much as a young boy that he collected them!  Now, that would take up a lot more room in a house than stamps, Hot Wheels or baseball cards!  Morgan even visited the Bissell plant in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on several occasions.  The company knew of his great interest in vacuum cleaners and his grandfather told me they've been sending him a vacuum cleaner for Christmas every year!  They also gave him a savings bond for college when he was very young and when it matures it will go a long way to pay for his education!  Today Morgan is almost fifteen and recently put together a central vacuum system, but he also loves music and plays several instruments (piano, saxophone, oboe, clarinet, and other wind instruments). 

We never know where a child's interests will take him or her, but it is certainly good to help each one cultivate as many good avenues of interests as possible.