Picking up after your children

Recently I have been realizing how detrimental it can be to pick up after one's children. Put another way, I have seen the importance of routines for kids.

Now, whenever we come home, the first thing that Elisabeth does is take off her sandals and put them on the shoe rack. She does it without being asked because she knows that is the routine, and because I'm not going to pick them up for her.

It took a long time to establish that routine without needing to remind her (most of the summer), but I am so thankful now because it would have been less helpful to her (to say nothing of our family) to let her take her shoes off, and then pick up after her.