I was talking with the mom of the children I watch and she was telling me how her oldest is really, really disrespectful to her. She does have some extenuating family circumstances that I don't have, but I have to wonder if it isn't partly because she doesn't expect him to be respectful. For example, he really has no chores around the house. He does one thing, clean the cat box. It made me think about the chores my children have.
I think I must be a slave driver. My kids have a LOT of chores.
Now, the boys do sleep in the same room, so the bedroom chores are split between them as opposed to both having to mop the whole room. Also on busy weekends, we may not get all the Saturday chores done because we just aren't at home. But we try to stick to this plan.
For our system, we have a master list that is on the fridge. It includes all the daily and weekday chores. It is laminated, and each day they check off what they completed.
We also assigned each child a room, and that is their Sat. chores. I have a list with all the chores for each room, laminated, posted on the door to that room. As they do the chores that day they check it off with a projector marker that is hanging from a string on the door. So far this works best for us.
I found the nifty chore charts at Chart Jungle, http://www.chartjungle.com/chores.html I found this site about 7 years ago, and have loved this zone cleaning type of system ever since!
What chores do your kids have? What are your thoughts on children having lots of chores vs. not many chores?
*edited to add in response to comments*
I really feel that it is important for the children to help out because they live here as well. I don't pay allowance for doing chores because chores are just something you have to do as part of a family. Sometimes family duties aren't fun, but you do them anyway! LOL
The kids don't enjoy doing chores and generally don't do them unless told to. Everyday we have chore time, and we all go down our checklists and do our respective tasks. The 5 year old is a pain about this, and occasionally spends 4 hours on one item, but she doesn't get to do anything else until those are done.
We started handing out chores at age 2. Something simple like feed the dog, or put the shoes in the shoe closet. It helps to have the chart, that they can check off when a job is done.
Lucy, age 5
Everyday:
Brush Teeth
Clean Room
Make Bed
Take Bath
Feed Dog
Sweep Upstairs Hallway #1(We have 2)
Take Out Recycling
Tuesday:
Empty Dishwasher
Saturday:
Sweep and Mop bedroom
Dust bedroom
Clean Doorknob and light switch
Wash Window
Clean bathtub in bathroom #2
Clean Sink
Clean Toilet
Clean Mirror
Clean Doorknob
Wash out Trash Can
Sweep and Mop
Clean Light Switch
Wash Window
Alex, age 8
Everyday:
Brush Teeth
Clean Room
Make Bed
Take Bath
Empty Upstairs Trashes
Clean out Cat Box
Sweep Kitchen
Sweep Landing of Stairs
Wednesday:
Empty Dishwasher
Saturday:
Sweep and Mop bedroom
Dust bedroom
Clean Doorknob and light switch
Wash Window
Clean bathtub in bathroom #3
Clean Sink
Clean Toilet
Clean Mirror
Clean Doorknob
Wash out Trash Can
Sweep and Mop
Clean Light Switch
Wash Window
AJ, age 10
Everyday:
Brush Teeth
Clean Room
Make Bed
Take Bath
Empty Downstairs Trashes
Feed and Water Cat
Clean up Dog poop
Sweep Stairs #2
Sweep Hallway #2
Thursday:
Empty Dishwasher
Saturday:
Sweep and Mop bedroom
Dust bedroom
Clean Doorknob and light switch
Wash Window
Dust Living Room
Clean TV Screen
Straighten Bookshelves
Clean Door Knobs
Clean Light Switches
Clean Walls
Wash Windows
Our foster son, age 15, also has a similar list, but I didn't list because when he leaves it will go back to being my list LOL.
4 comments:
I didn't have any chores growing up. My parents always said "its their house and they are the adults so they will clean it".
Worked for me!
Gage is only 2 so he doesn't really have "chores" but he likes helping me put away clean dishes and wiping the windows clean.
I'm all for the chores. I realize how much less my kids do than I did and I think they may be at a disadvantage when they are on their own,'cuz they just haven't done stuff. None of them knows how to 'spring clean' their room from top to bottom, or really realizes that helping with laundry once a month will NOT keep you in clean clothes. They are pretty good to perform the tasks if I have a chart or list. I am lax sometimes and it falls apart.. I take the blame for that. when I take the time to assign the jobs, it pays me back much more...
Karen
My oldest is just now getting to the age where she can be responsible for regular chores on her own. Dylan is a mess. He can't remember something every day!
They are responsible for picking up their own toy room every day, but that only happens with a LOT of prodding.
When the time comes, there will be chores handed out to the kids. Particularly because I am hugely outnumbered and I am the only clean freak....so, yeah, I'm not cleaning up after everyone else forever.
What are Adan's chores? I need a chore list for Bob, HE is the real offender in this house!
Meg - I really feel that it is important for the children to help out because they live here as well. I don't pay allowance for doing chores because chores are just something you have to do as part of a family. Sometimes family duties aren't fun, but you do them anyway! LOL
Karen Sue - I completely agree that we need to teach our children how to generally keep up after themselves before they move out. I did not know how to cook and it was not a good thing!
I also agree that a chart is essential! Keeps me on track too.
Jessey - I think if you could give Dylan a chore... make it something like feed the cat. If it is dry food, you could scoop the food into a cup and hand it to him to dump in the bowl. A little more work for you, but will train him to do chores.
As to prodding, all of mine need an electric cattle prod to get started. We have "chore time" and the TV is off and everyone including me do chores. I don't let them do anything fun until their work is done.
Adan is a totally diff story. Since we have 2 kitchens he is supposed to keep up after kitchen #2. No one ever cooks in there but sometimes dishes end up in the sink if we eat in the living room. He does his chores when the kitchen starts wailing and smelling like a rotting swamp monster. I have stopped harrassing him, but I also stopped doing his chores. LOL
My chores are laundry, dishes when the kids aren't doing them, clean the laundry room, clean the office, clean the sewing room, and the entire daycare and daycare kitchen. Someday I hope that Adan will realize it is important to me for him to do his damn chores, but until then I have to much to do to worry about him LOL!
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