September 2015 Moms

Should kids do chores?

Sweetpea192Sweetpea192 member
edited March 2015 in September 2015 Moms
Just off the subject of pregnancy for a minute.

Ok so Do you think kids should do chores? I've a 7 & 4 year old. And I personally think that there is no harm in it.. Both my kids empty there lunch boxes when they get home from school & they both tidy there room which isn't often as they keep it relatively tidy. My 7yr clears the table after dinner.. I think it gives them responsibility & they actually enjoy doing it.

Re: Should kids do chores?

  • Yes, my four year old has a chore chart and we make it fun too. She feeds the dogs, tiddys her room and empties the bathroom garbage. She makes 75 cents a week and has one of those spend, save, give piggy banks.


    Baby Birthday Ticker Ticker
  • kjs08kjs08 member
    I had chores as I kid and more were added as I was older. Empty bathroom trash, empty dishwasher, feed dog and cat, etc. I think I earned a $1 a week. Cleaning my room, however, not so much. I was horrible at keeping that clean till college. 
    BabyFruit Ticker
  • Loading the player...
  • I never had to do chores, and I turned out okay! :-) BUT I had a stay at home mom that love to clean so there was nothing left for me to clean...i'm sure we'll have our kids do chores. Can't hurt?!
  • Man, I never got money for doing chores. I did get a very very small monthly allowance, so I suppose that might be the same thing in the end. My dad was away all the time for work, and then my parents split up when I was 11. My  mom went back to school while working full time, so chores were the only way everything got done around the house when I was older. As for younger kids, it definitely helps teach responsibility and respect for the work that goes into running a household. Everyone needs to do their part, in my opinion. But this is my first so we'll see how it goes :) 
  • I grew up doing chores and intend on passing it down to my kids when they're old enough. I'll never forget when in 5th grade I transferred from a NYC catholic school to a school out on Long Island. One day, the lunch aids asked a group of girls to clean up a mess they planned on leaving behind and handed them brooms and such. The girls sincerely did not know how to sweep the floor. They gripped the broom with two fingers and sort of swayed it back and forth flimsily, not at all creating a decent pile to collect. One even said, " Ummm, that's why we have cleaning ladies live with us." At the age of 10, I was embarrassed for them and vowed that my children would do chores! Good for you mamas for teaching responsibility so young! I look forward to doing the same.
  • Yes. I think it's good for children to learn that not everything is handed to them on a plate.
    He feeds the dog, loves hoovering! And if he could cook, he would haha, he's forever watching me in the kitchen. I let him get involved to a certain point, but chopping and turning the stove on etc are big no no's.

    Our son gets money for his money if he does chores. He actually looks quite chuffed with himself when he's finished lol.

    It's also good for LO's to do chores, as it shows them the value of money (if you pay them that is) and how you have to work hard to get nice things in life, or even the basic necessities.

    I used to do chores when I was a child, it never did me any harm, and I never even got paid for it..... *whispers....I used to enjoy them .....ssshhh don't tell my mum that! ;-)
  • I to grew up doing chores to. And the more older I got the more were added on. I see no harm in it & while my kids are under my roof they will take realisability for things.. I never ask them to clean the house top to bottom (although sometimes it's tempting lol) but a few things here and there won't do them any harm
  • Yes, I think it's good for kids to do chores. I have a 10 year old who helps sweep, feed the dog, take the garbage out, dust, fold his laundry and put it away. I also have a 1 1/2 year old and we try to have her help put her toys/books away. I have a 4 year old nephew that comes to our house every now and then. By the time he leaves, it looks like a tornado went through the place and he almost always refuses to put the toys away. I don't want my kids to be "that kid" when they're at a friends house so I think it's best to teach them while they're young. I always had chores when I was growing up and never got a weekly allowance but whenever I wanted to go somewhere with friends my parents were willing to give me some money.
  • DD is 2 and does little chores now.  She puts her clothes in the hamper every night and straightens up her room before bed.  We will probably add more as she gets older.  I have to talk to my husband about paying her for it.  I am leaning towards no, but I have no real reason behind that.  I guess I just feel that contributing to the household is a family thing that doesn't necessarily need to be monetarily rewarded. I honestly haven't given it much thought. 
  • In one word. Absolutely.
    Baby Birthday Ticker Ticker
  • I never had to do chores growing up and I think it hurt me as an adult. I got into my own apartment and had to learn how to cook actual meals as opposed to Mac and cheese. Also, I really struggle with cleaning and keeping things picked up because those habits were never formed when I was young. So this baby will be doing chores. Also, we are going to do volunteer work with her when she is old enough so she learns to give back and appreciate what she has.
  • They absolutely should! My sisters and I all did lots of chores growing up and I believe it truly helped us become capable, organized adults. My husband on the other hand was a bit spoiled by his mom and grandma and they did EVERYTHING for him until he moved out and married me! It has made parts of our marriage very strained because he tends to be lazy and entitled, like anyone that never had to clean up after themselves or contribute to a team. He is trying and learning so I give him a lot of credit and I'm patient. He sees now how important it is to have your kids help out in the family!
  • I have a 9 year old and a 2 year old. The 9 year old has her daily an weekly chores. She has to keep her room and bathroom clean. She is to unload the dishwasher and help fold laundry and put her clothes away. She also has to do baseboards one day a week. She also has to dust sweep the floors. She is getting very excited to learn how To cook so she spends time with me in the kitchen helping prepare meals. SHe is expected to pack her own lunchbox and unpack it when she gets home. She brings all the dirty lauded from her room, bathroom and sisters room to the laundry room also. She helps dust all the tables and watches and plays with her sister when I am trying to get things done around the house. And he empire all the trash cans on trash night so I can carry the garbage can down to the road.

    The two year old has to clean up her toy mess, put her books away and she helps me transfer laundry from the washer to dryer. She loves throwing things away also so if she finds any trash laying around she throws it away.

    It's mainly the three of us since my DF works 7 days a week second shift so our 9 year old has to step in and help pick up some of the slack. She gripes and moans sometimes but she understands and all her chores take about 30 to 40 minutes aday then she's done and can do whatever she choses. If she doesn't do chores she does get in trouble. She knows what it takes to clean a house. As our two year old gets older some chores will shift to her and this baby will be picking up after itself.
  • I think it's wrong if kids don't have chores. There were four of us in my family growing up and we all had both daily and weekly chores from the time we could physically start doing them to when we moved out. I never once received a dime for allowance either. My mom always said we were a part of the family and household and needed to learn to contribute. 
    image
  • My six year old clears the table after dinner, puts up her shoes and bookbag, and feeds the cat. I truly believe it helps her feel accomplished, plus, I don't have a teenager, but I imagine having her do chores now is much less daunting than expecting it of her once she is a preteen who would have had everything done for her.
  • @ijdorweiler I agree that kids (and adults) should not be rewarded for just doing every day chores and tasks that are necessary for the family to function. Do I get an award when I do 5 loads of laundry in a day? Hell no! Haha. I think if a child puts in extra effort or really goes above and beyond, that's where the rewards should come in. A little balanced praise is always in order when they do something positive, but as for money or other tangible rewards, sorry, that is for exceptional behavior or effort. That's how my dad trained us and I would like to think we are all very hard working balanced women. He never gave us an allowance for cleaning our room or doing our homework, no, that is what we're supposed to do whether we get something out of it or not. It has made my adult life so much easier! That's how
    intend to raise my children as well.

    Absolutely agree!
  • edited March 2015
    YES!

    My parents didn't give me chores (i mean, I had to do stuff on a regular basis, but not specific things that I was solely responsible for) and I wish they had.  As an adult, I don't really like putting work into keeping things nice, i do it because I want to have nice things, but it took me a really long time to get to a point where I knew the work was worth the reward (but I still don't LIKE doing it).  I wish they had instilled that from very young so it was just apart of my normal everyday life.

    Also: kids are apart of the family and everyone has to contribute to keep it going. I feel bad for moms that have no help from husband or kids.  It's not one person's responsibillty to keep a house running.  
    BabyFruit Ticker
  • WDDCHWDDCH member
    They absolutely do chores in my house. I don't make their messes. If it is beyond their ability or skill then obviously an adult or older child will do it. We have five, soon six, kiddos. It is imperative that we work together if we want a clean, happy home. Otherwise this place would be completely trashed. I can't handle messes. If my house is chaos then I feel chaotic. I can't relax in messes.

    I always tell them the sooner we work together, the sooner we can play together! I don't pay them to do their daily responsibilities. My main rules are, "Everything needs to have a home. If it doesn't have a place then it needs to go." AND "When you are done with it, put it away." They are still learning and it's constant reminding but just the other day my 3-year-old son was putting the counting bears back in their bucket and he tells me, "I put it away, Mommy! Then I go play dinosaurs." He knew that he needed to put away what he was done with before he got something new out! Consistency will pay off!

    There are no surprises here. They all learn young and know their roles. Sounds strict but I'm actually pretty laid back. They're out sitting in the mud, digging, making messes and being kids at the moment! I know they'll take their muddy shoes off before they come in and then wash their hands because that is just what they've always known and done. I just set guidelines and remind them of them when they forget.

    Pregnancy Ticker
  • Yep!! My almost 7 & 3 year old both have chore charts. I expect them to finish theirs completely before they can do any of their work for hire chores.
    AlternaTickers - Cool, free Web tickers AlternaTickers - Cool, free Web tickers
  • I think kids should have chores. At this age you can make it a game and they usually love to help. It will also become a habit
  • Absolutely yes, when we were kids my parents always had chores for us to do. I agree in making it fun my DS he is 3 and right now he helps me cook & clean also picks up his toys before bed! He absolutely loves helping.
  • MiromiMMiromiM member
    edited March 2015
    Yes, kids should have to do chores. Or more so, kids should to age appropriate activities that help out the household. I did chores as a child, my DH did chores as a child, our kiddos will do chores. Think of it as setting the stage for a clean and productive adult.
    *Siggy Warning*

    image


    Lilypie First Birthday tickers
  • I never had to do set "chores" as a child, nor did my brother. He always had a clean room and mine was always a mess. My mom was pretty obsessively clean, and clearly our personalities were going to be what they were, without chores being set . Now that I have my own house, I am also pretty obsessive about keeping it clean, but to be honest, when it is messy, it really doesn't bother me. It's just a personality thing and I really don't think any amount of chores would have made me care more about it. With all that being said, there was a general understanding that when mom said "it's time to clean your room" I did it! But this was much more of a listening to mom thing then a chore thing. This went for pretty much any time mom asked us to do something. I feel like charts and set schedules create more work for mom and won't necessarily teach any more responsibility in the end. I will ask my child to do things randomly when I need help, and they will do it... but mostly because following directions is not optional in this home.
  • My mother always cared about cleaning, but she never made me do a single thing when I was growing up. I've grown up to find that I struggle to keep my own house clean because I never felt the importance or responsibility of it when I was young. I think chores benefit your child in the long run, and no one should ever have an issue with it.
  • Kids should absolutely have chores. It teaches responsibility and the concept of working together toward shared goals (i.e. clean house for the family.)
    Baby Birthday Ticker Ticker 

      Baby Birthday Ticker Ticker
  • I agree with @irenejean - I think far and wide "chores" should be unpaid. But maybe having bigger things each week they can choose to do for pay (age dependent but some thoughts: rake leaves, mop, help with larger task, ie clean garage, yard work, etc) can be a good way to still teach the value of money. I'm kind of between the two sides here; I did daily chores growing up, but they weren't "set." Virtually everyday I could expect to clean up the kitchen after supper and do dishes and other tasks, but there was definitely never a chart or any idea of "these are so-and-so's chores, these are such-and-such's responsibility etc." We just did what we were asked and what was expected of us.
  • My son is 5, he picks up his toys, clothes off the floor ( him and his daddy never throw their clothes in the hamper!), and puts away his shoes and backpack. He sets the table, and likes to help me separate clothes by color when I'm about to do laundry. I don't really consider them chores, just things he should be doing anyway. I wouldn't ask him to wash dishes, clean the kitchen, mop the floors, or do his own laundry until he is about to be a teenager( 10-12 years). He is a well behaved boy and he understands responsibility. I give him my spare change all the time, if I get a couple dollars back in change I usually give it to him and he puts it in his wallet at home lol. He is a really good saver, unlike me, he has over $60. I guess that's the same as paying him, I don't know. It's not really planned lol but I think he is a good kid and he knows how to do things on his own, and to me that is fine for now.
  • Absolutely! Kids have to have responsibilities to prepare them for actual responsibilities. We plan on a capitalistic system at our house.. You have some basic chores you have to do to like.. Live there and then there will be small jobs up for grabs for money. You don't do any, you don't get money! Kinda like crappy adulthood.. :))
This discussion has been closed.
Choose Another Board
Search Boards
"
"