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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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!
- 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.
- 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.
- Encourage your children. It helps to give a “Great job!” and a “That look great!” as much as possible.
- 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)
