Do you make your kids do chores? I snagged the picture below of Joeli yesterday and when I looked at it later began to think about it.
Colby and I were raised in two very different households. He was in charge of most of the chores in the home since both of his parents worked and he was 8 years older than his brother.
He cleaned, vacuumed, swept, made coffee for breakfast, tea for dinner, sat out meat for thawing, mowed the lawn and much more. And now?
Now he has a fascination with cleaning!
To Assign Chores or Not
Me on the other hand? My mom always said she did not have us “to be her slaves.” To this day, I still find my mom at the kitchen sink washing dishes. I do not think they ever get done!
We were not given chores to do. I rarely ever took out the trash. Dishes were not an option. My mom, even though she worked a full-time job—and still does—made our breakfast in the morning, packed our lunches, and made us a hot meal every night.
I remember thinking how very strange it was when I would be at Colby’s for dinner and {a} his dad was making dinner or {b} his mom made dinner and served me a sandwich, cut in half, with a pickle spear, slice of cheddar cheese, and chips all served on the side.
Ummm… sandwiches are for lunch? Yeah, two totally different households (in so many more ways than this in fact).
“For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” ~Ephesians 5:31
So, when we combined into one we had to learn to compromise on a “few” things along the way. Chores were one of those things. I like to keep a decently kept home, but do not mind it looking “lived in” and not “model perfect.”
Colby on the other hand would love to see it “model perfect” all the time. Thus, we had to compromise.
I do believe in teaching the kids some responsibility, but have trouble asking them to do something when I have not. Meaning, I can not ask them to clean their room if I still have laundry piled in a chair in my room.
It makes me feel hypocritical. And, yes, I realize I am the parent. I just feel that way.
Nonetheless, everyone has their chores. Chey is in charge of dishes. Wyatt gets the trash. They both share the mowing and kitchen in general.
They do their own laundry and help with the girls as needed. Jaden is in charge of the upstairs bathroom {her bathroom she says}. Both Jaden and Jaci must keep their rooms and the gameroom picked up.
Chey and Jaden share the responsibilities with the dog. And Colby and I pick up the rest… and then some. I enjoy mowing so may do it when needed and not worry about the kids doing it.
If the sink is full. Colby and I will do it to get it done.
In actuality, we share the chores as a family. Certain things are “understood” but all-in-all we work together to make sure the house looks (at least) decently, lived in!
How do you assign chores?
Do your kids get chores to do? Are they given an allowance for the chores they do? What age do you start them? So many questions! 5 kids and we are still working out kinks here and there.
For now, it seems to work so we just go with it. Therefore, last night Joeli (22 months old) was given her first chore and did it like a pro!
