Helping Out In Someone Else's Home

This summer, I'm at my sister's house babysittng her 7-year-old. The things I do there include making him a snack, playing a game with him, or even simply keeping him company.

When I'm not busy with him or he's not around (such as a couple of hours during the past three afternoons when he was attending a cooking class), I'll try to help out in other ways such as loading/unloading the dishwasher, folding the blankets in the living room, freshening up the pets' water bowls, and walking the dogs.

Something that my dad believed in and expected out of me and my sister was to be as helpful as possible when over at a family member's house, especially if it was overnight. I remember one time when he found out that I did not help out my grandma (which he found out from asking me, not from anything my grandma said), he asked me why not, as well as lecturing me and saying that, "We're not guests. We're family, and family helps each other out." Did I have an excuse for not helping out? Of course not. Did I feel bad? Yes.

I think I've been better about helping out ever since, although there may have been times when I've slipped up. I'm not entirely sure though, but over the years, helping out in family member's homes (if not non-family members' homes) as much as possible has become a necessary courtesy in my book as well as in my dad's. I regret that I did not uphold this value prior to my high school years. In fact, there are a lot of things I did in the past that I wish I hadn't, and if I could change that, I would.

Have you ever heard the saying, "If you have time to lean, you have time to clean?"  I've had jobs where that idea has been applicable.  I believe such an idea can be applied to homes as well (whether your own or someone else's).  After all, if you take part in the care and keeping of your own home (which you do, right?), and you're going to be in someone else's home for multiple days, wouldn't it make sense to, barring illness or anything happening outside the home that somehow involves you, help with some of the cleaning or anything else that goes on in said home?

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to see if there's some stuff I can straighten up.