Mothers and Fathers find themselves tasked with a great many responsibilities. As for me and my house, I seem to be serving the laundry Gods who demand a great deal of my time given that I have a wife and five daughters ranging in ages from 5 to 13 years old. Due to increasing stress levels, and decreasing charity levels I have come to the realization that my system of doing laundry is no longer working; I just can’t do it anymore.
So, I have devised a document, a declaration of principles of sorts, with respect to laundry in our household. I call it Laundry: A Proclamation To My Family. The text of the document is now gospel in our home and it reads:
I, as father of the Nick Galieti Family do here by declare that laundry is important and eternal. Clothes are a part of mortality and keeping them clean will be required throughout the eternities.
As competent children you have been endowed with the capacity to start a machine that will do a bulk of the work for you. Doing laundry is as easy as using an app or watching Netflix.
Doing laundry is symbolic of the moral life you live. As has been taught in the scriptures, our garments are to be clean, and “cleanliness is next to godliness.”
It is important for each child to learn the responsibilities of life so that when the time arrives to leave the comfort of home, you are prepared to be a self-sustaining member of society who doesn’t smell.
You are loved and it is important that you realize that urging you to do your own laundry will bless your life now, and when you get married and start your own family.
I declare as of May 12th, 2016 that laundry is the responsibility of every member of the family. Help will be offered where needed and love will always be in our home.
I have attached the printout that I posted on the doors of all my children and above our TV (see below). I will return and report on the success of this effort.
Nick Galieti is an experienced podcaster as both producer/host of The Good Word Podcast, and was named the recipient of the 2015 John Taylor: Defender of the Faith Award by FairMormon for his podcasting effort with that organization. Nick is the voice of Book of Mormon Central’s “KnoWhy” podcasts. Nick has directed and produced two documentaries on the life of Joseph Smith Jr., Picturing Joseph, and Murder of the Mormon Prophet.
Nick is also a published author of the books Tree of Sacrament, and The Exaltation Equation. A past guest of The Cultural Hall (click here to listen). Nick was born in Southern California, and served a mission to the Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Nick is a freelance sound engineer of over 15 years, is married, has 5 daughters, and now lives in West Valley City, Utah.