A little laundry then some..
Jewel posing for the camera
We haven’t been up to alot lately. Mainly just laundry and trying to keep the house clean. Anyone with children knows this is a job in itself because they mess up as you go. The fight around here lately has been about chores.
Some of my friends make their kids help out very little. Because “they want them to be kids”. My argument is that kids need responsibility and I stand by that. I also think its too much for one person to handle alone and the kids should help out. After all.. MOST of it is their messes!
My kids have to help put up the laundry when I fold it. Sometimes they even help fold it but not often because they just aren’t very good at it. I also make them take out the garbage and help with the dishes. They are also responsible for their rooms and to help out with anything else I find for them to do. Between the older 3 it doesn’t take them too long to get it done if they’ll do it and not complain about it. They must do these things before they get to play outside. It was part of the rules when I was growing up and I see nothing wrong with it now. Right now as I type this Taylor is vacuuming the floor and Jewel just finished putting up her clothes I just got finished folding. Its just part of learning responsibility in my opinion.
Did you make your kids do chores? Did they earn an allowance for it? My kids when they’ve done what they were told to do with out making a huge deal of it get an allowance or we get them something special at the end of the week. But only if they didn’t give us too much hell about what we’ve asked them to do for the week. I do think its a big learning process there.
As far as your friends wanting their kids “to be kids”. LOL. They sure will be. Right up through college, marriage, and beyond. Their daughters / sons in law will not be pleased, but at least someone got to just be a kid. Soon to follow…”I just want him / her to be happy.”
Emphasis on “just”.
Oh, and my 2-year-old does chores. She picks up her toys and insists on me allowing her to wipe the baseboards, fridge, and dishwasher with a damp cloth.
She also “helps” me do the laundry as much as she can (putting clothes in the washer, pouring the soap from the cap into the washer with me holding her hand), and she puts her socks and shoes away.
She is a kid, and she loves life, but I am hellbent on helping her be a responsible, conscientious member of society one day.
Kudos to you for having your kids do chores. Doing chores is just part of being a family. Everyone should do their part. Our kids all do chores, they don’t necessarily like it, but they accept it as part of their lives.
I am right there with you. They need to learn responsibility and routine and if we aren’t the one’s instilling this how will they ever find it. Good for you! Your friends and you can compare how things worked out years from now
This is a great post. It’s funny but it’s one of my kids korner questions that I haven’t posted yet. Being friends with your kids doesn’t start until they are grown up. IF then! I agree with Kweenmama, chores are a part of being a family.
Yes, my boys both had chores and yes, they did get an allowance but only if all the chores were done. In their early days, we used charts and stickers. I always told them when they had a job, they didn’t get to pick what they wanted to do and if they didn’t do the whole job, they wouldn’t be able to keep it.
So, keep it up. Everyone should have chores to do. I think it makes kids feel a sense of accomplishment also.
Great post!
I think that ALL family members, not just kids should do chores. I think it’s part of being a family and part of caring for the home that we all share.
I need to be better about making my kids do chores, although I do realize they’re still young (almost 4 and 2 1/2). The kids do have to pick up all the toys throughout the house before bed and bring the back to their rooms and do a general room pickup each night before bed. They also have to put their dirty laundry in their hamper, shoes and coats away when entering the house, and clear their place when their done eating at the table. Sometimes, when I’m not in a hurry and when my daughter asks she helps me load the dishwasher, and wash the remaining dishes in the sink. Our washing machine is in our basement which is really grungy so I don’t have the kids help with that yet. I’d like to someday bring the washer upstairs and when that happens it will be easier for them to help. They do help me hang laundry on the clothesline, and they both love it when I give them a dustcloth and tell them to dust.
Growing up, I didn’t earn an allowance. My parents were of the belief that each member of a family unit contributed their share. My mother certainly didn’t get payment for cooking a meal, or doing a dish and she didn’t feel I should be raised with the idea that I should either. In the summer months or vacations she would leave a list of chores on the kitchen table and they were expected to be finished when she arrived home.
When I was in middle school my parents started their own business, a Mom & Pop convenience store. I worked many shifts there to save hiring another employee. I didn’t earn a regular paycheck, but I had money in high school pretty much whenever I needed it for clothing, movies etc.
I do sometimes wish that I had earned an allowance growing up only because I think it may have started a better foundation for personal finance than I currently have. I’m horrible at saving and am not a good money manager at all. While I’m not saying an allowance would have taught me that, it would have given me practice at a much younger age.
My 17 month old cleans up after himself…. the 5 year old gets lippy but still does it. I do not pay them, no one pays me to wash their clothes, make dinner etc.