For many years now, we’ve had a Dyson Ball vacuum. It has served us well, but now it’s (past) time to upgrade. Putting aside the fact that entropy is a thing, we really wanted a vacuum that wasn’t a burden for Namine to use.
The Ball is taller than Namine. It has a handle on the top, and while it isn’t too far up for Namine to reach, it still requires some awkward leverage on her part. As Namine gets older, so many decisions we make must take her needs and accessibility into account. So, too, must choosing a new vacuum cleaner.
We finally settled on the Dyson Animal. We have been very satisfied with the brand, so we saw no reason not to stick with them. The Animal is a cordless, chargeable vacuum cleaner that came with several parts. When we use it, we attach the long tube and the head. When Namine uses it, she attaches only the head — this allows her to crawl on one hand and vacuum with the other. It’s far less work than with the previous vacuum.
Namine has chores, like any child. She’s expected to clean her room, for example. (Which she does as well as any preadolescent, I suppose. I certainly am no shining example in that regard.) She helps out around the apartment where she can. As I’ve mentioned before, we can only do so much to improve the accessibility of an apartment unit.
There’s a saying that goes, “it is a poor craftsman who blames his (or her) tools.” There is truth to that, but there’s also the converse: “pick the right tool for the job.” Your tools shouldn’t force you to work extra hard. The old vacuum was doing that for Namine; it certainly wasn’t doing her any favors. The new vacuum allows her to do the chore and be done with it, no undue exertion required.
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