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Chores?

balihaigirlbalihaigirl member
in Austin Babies

Will your kids have chores?

I was just reading on facebook and kellymom asked parents

 Parents of older children - do your kids have chores? Tell us about it (age, what sort of chores, do they get paid for chores or have an allowance that depends on chores being completed?)

 
This is one lady's response: "My kids are 6.5 and 4 and they have no chores. I do ask them to help out every now and then, but they have the option of saying no."
 
How do you feel about this comment?  Also will your kids have chores when they're older (if they don't already)?

 

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Re: Chores?

  • balihaigirlbalihaigirl member
    ugh, that lady's response just rubs me the wrong way.  
     
    IMO, chores teach your children responsibility.  They teach children not to expect mom and dad to do everything for them (including picking up after them).  
     
    Also you have the ability to show your children how to clean properly.  DH to this day does not know how to properly clean a bathroom or how to do the laundry right (he always is drying stuff he shouldn't and mixing colors he shouldn't).  Yep, his mom NEVER had him do chores growing up.
     
    My family, on the other hand, we all had chores.  Each one of us children did the dishes a certain # of times a week and were responsible for cleaning our own rooms and helping my mom with other chores.  We all worked together on Saturday mornings to clean our house.  When we were about 12 or so we all started to do our own laundry.
     
    I hated it growing up but now I'm so happy my parents did this because now I can appreciate having a clean house and now I know how to clean properly and efficiently.
     
    My children will absolutely have chores.
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  • balihaigirlbalihaigirl member

    imageMrsRosie:
    He mixes my drinks now, so I think I'll just let him get really good at that and then we'll move on to other things.

    ooh great idea!

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  • NessiaNessia
    imagebalihaigirl:
    This is one lady's response: "My kids are 6.5 and 4 and they have no chores. I do ask them to help out every now and then, but they have the option of saying no."
     
    Yeah, that's just dumb. If I ask them to do something I expect them to do it. I'm a tyrant that way. Wink I don't have a list of chores for DD but I do ask her to clean her room and am starting to teach her to put her own clothes away.

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  • NessiaNessia
    imagebalihaigirl:

    imageMrsRosie:
    He mixes my drinks now, so I think I'll just let him get really good at that and then we'll move on to other things.

    ooh great idea!

    Here's a question, Is it wrong to send your child to grab you a drink (aka Beer) from the cooler? DD is old enough to do it but does it send some sort of "bad" message?
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  • MrsMillerTimeMrsMillerTime
    imagebalihaigirl:
     
    Also you have the ability to show your children how to clean properly.  DH to this day does not know how to properly clean a bathroom or how to do the laundry right (he always is drying stuff he shouldn't and mixing colors he shouldn't).  Yep, his mom NEVER had him do chores growing up.
      

    Not having chores growing up is not the reason that he doesn't know how to clean properly.  I didn't have chores growing up & I clean my entire house all the time & do a pretty good job.

    But I didn't have chores because I had other "responsibilities" growing up.  I went to school 6 days a week.  I was involved in piano & dance lessons.  After doing homework, practicing piano, etc.etc.etc. there was no time for me to do chores.  (But FWIW, I was probably too busy to make a mess in my room too.)

    IMO, 4 & 6.5 is a little young to have assigned chores.  Yes, the kids should be able to help clean up when asked, but I don't think it's a "do this or you can't do X,Y,Z" situation. 

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  • MrsMillerTimeMrsMillerTime
    imageNessia:
    imagebalihaigirl:

    imageMrsRosie:
    He mixes my drinks now, so I think I'll just let him get really good at that and then we'll move on to other things.

    ooh great idea!

    Here's a question, Is it wrong to send your child to grab you a drink (aka Beer) from the cooler? DD is old enough to do it but does it send some sort of "bad" message?

    They're not drinking it.  It's no different than having them grab a soda/bottle of water.

    image
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  • SaraLouiseBride08SaraLouiseBride08

    My child will have chores - if only for the life lessons. I probably won't "pay" them for doing their chores, but I can see withholding allowence or other consequences.

    And I don't think it's wrong to have your child get you a drink. Alcohol shouldn't be tabu. As long as you plan on teaching her about alocohol responsibility (as is appropriate per age), then I don't see the problem. It's just another drink, except this one is for grown ups Wink

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  • ali-1411ali-1411 member
    Jakob doesn't have assigned chores, but he is expected to help out when we tell him to.  We also let him earn money by doing stuff around the house.  Like....they were selling $2 jump ropes at school.  He did 4 chores for 50 cents each and earned the money himself.  I'd rather that then to just give him the $2 or not let him buy the jump rope at all.

    And I've put him on work detail for misbehaving.  He's cleaned bathrooms, sweep/swiffer the floors, wiped down baseboards, dusted, dishes...he can do just about anything.

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  • Kristen&DoyleKristen&Doyle

    Oh yes, they will have chores!  As soon as they are old enough, I will make sure they can at least put clean dishes up out of the dishwasher (because I don't like doing it) and sort laundry (because I don't like anything to do with laundry once it has come out of the dryer, but anything would help!) and the older they get, the more yard work chores they would get as well.  I'm happy to pay them for the chores and more than likely they will be paid to drive tractors durning the summer anyway.  There are some things I would expect them to help out with, by just being asked and not paid for though, like setting the table and taking out the trash type of things.  Of course, just like now, top priority is making sure everything is picked up.  I would never pay for that as well, especially if it's their mess anyway!  Oh and their beds will be made before they eat breakfast!  I love the idea of detail work for misbehaving, Ali!  I'll have to remember that one!  I'm all for hard work as a child because I got away without doing much at all and I think it's came back to bite me in the butt now (yes, I'm lazy and don't like doing housework!) 

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  • PrincessBrideSarahPrincessBrideSarah

    Heck, yes. I'm not sure if they will be scheduled chores or more like helping out. DH and I don't really operate on a chore schedule.

    I would expect my child to keep their own room relatively neat/picked up, make the bed some of the time, put their dirty clothes in the laundry basket, help with making dinner and doing the dishes, and help when mom and/or dad are cleaning the house, doing laundry, doing yard work, etc.

    Even toddlers can help put their toys away in a basket or bin. That's part of why I picked baskets/totes for the baby's room. A toddler can place toys in a basket but I wouldn't expect any kind of organization.

    I also would not pay for doing chores unless my child was doing something special like cleaning all the baseboards and blinds in the house, doing a hard-core bathroom or car-cleaning, digging up the weeds that have been growing in the yard for a couple of months, etc.

    I think helping the house run smoothly is part of being a family member. Why wouldn't our child help that to happen? 

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  • Kristen&DoyleKristen&Doyle
    imagePrincessBrideSarah:

    Even toddlers can help put their toys away in a basket or bin. That's part of why I picked baskets/totes for the baby's room. A toddler can place toys in a basket but I wouldn't expect any kind of organization.

    Colton has been able to organize his toys from early on.  If there is a set place it goes, he remembers where it goes.  Don't let them fool you, they are smarter than they let on and have really good memories! 

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  • PMBridetobePMBridetobe member

    SS 17 has chores such as feed/water the dogs and do the dishes/clean the kitchen (wipe counters, put food up) from dinner.  Those are the tasks that he does as a member of the family.  Depending on attitude and how many times it takes us to remind him, he will get paid for taking care of the lawn (mowing, edging, weed whacking, cleaning up dog poop).

    He is also expected to keep his bathroom clear of clothes and his room reasonable clean.  These two rarely happen and I am just bidding my time until he goes to college.   His room has a lovely odor coming from it that no amount of cleaning (by me!) has been able to find the source and get it out.  He has a trail from his bedroom to the bathroom and back.  ::::shudder:::: boys!

    SD (13) is only here during the summer/holidays.  So, this summer she took over wiping down the counters and feed/water the dogs.  SS has the other chores.  She is also expected to keep her room clean, etc.

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