When I was a child I remember day dreaming about becoming an adult and longing to have children. Was it because babies were cute and I thought that I would be an amazing mom? Absolutely not. I dreamed of doing things like sitting on the couch and screaming my child’s name simply to make them hand me a remote that was a mere 12 inches away from me : ) Just kidding (or maybe not). However, as a mom (and somewhat of an adult) I realize how much my mom helped me by forcing me to be responsible, do chores, and have accountability. *Shout out to Victoria Thompson*

Many parents cause problems for themselves and their children by letting them skate by. You can’t think your 16-year-old is going to comply willingly when they have never picked up a broom a day in their life, except to hand it to you. Below are a few keys to success as it relates to chores.

1. Give age appropriate chores. Yes, even your 3-year-old should have chores like picking up their toys, putting dirty clothes away, or putting  dishes in the sink.
2. There is nothing wrong with incentives every once in a while. Yes, some things they just have to do whether they are getting something for it or not. It’s called being a part of this family. Still, things like allowance charts are super darn cool. Attach a monetary value to each chore and that will give them their allowance for the week. For the younger kids you can do a treat jar. Fill it with fruit snacks and toys from the dollar store.
3. Complete chores as a unit. As a child my mom would clean the house every Friday night. If the entire house is cleaning as a team it doesn’t seem so bad. Play some loud music, sing, dance, and handle business!
4. Have an after chore treat. when everyone is done cleaning sit down as a family and enjoy a bowl of ice cream and a movie.
5. Organize. When the home is organized well the chores will be more like “straightening up” as my grandmother use to say instead of hard painstaking work.
6. Encourage your children. It helps to give a “Great job!” and a “That look great!” as much as possible.
7. Think of it as one less job you have to do (just being honest folks).

 

Until Next time…

 

 

*image via the messed up home (great blog)