Finickity toddler? Or is DS a changeling?

[EffiePerine]

DH and I are pretty slobby laid back, but DS seems to have acquired a strange neat gene from somewhere (he's 20 mo).

hates being messy and will get a wipe to clean his face
Any open door: 'DOOR' and shuts it
as soon as he has finished with stuff he says 'TAKE' so I can put it in the kitchen
as soon as meals are over he's dragging his box to the sink to tell me to start washing up
the other day he pointed imperiously at me until I'd done my jacket up FFS

Will this last? Can I rely on him doing all the housework by the time he's 5?

just me then...

• to a small child telling you off for being messy!!

Wish mine were more like that (mind you my 'laid back' ways have probably rubbed off on them!)

oh, he makes plenty of mess, he just wants me to clear it up!

My daughter is just the same and I'm a terrible slattern. No idea where she's got it from. She even started trying to clean the floor with a baby wipe the other day.

cleaning floors - check

if he srops something on his foot (milk or cerel) he has to do a comedy shuffle to get a wipe and clean it off, presumably before it crawls up his leg and bites him

My DD is exactly the same, and so is her little playmate. Incidentally both are 20 months as well. She's just knocked over some juice and come running into the kitchen to get the kitchen roll and mop it up herself. She also asks for a wipe after every meal so she can clean her highchair tray. The advantage is, the housework (the little that I do) takes half the time it did. Just hand her a duster and she's off. Even cleaned the kitchen floor with me the other day. I mopped, she scrubbed the bits I missed

My mother keeps telling me I need to change my slovenly habits as dd will be embaressed by me later in life. I like to think the clean gene skips a generation. My Nan is untidy, my mother "Hyacinth Bucket", I'm untidy and therefore DD will be Clean Queen

Does he go to nursery? My LO is very strict about getting his hands and face washed as soon as he has finished his meal. Think it is because they are so organised at nursery.