Published in the Democrat and Chronicle on October 6, 2010
When we think of chores we think of hard work,- and that’s the point. Children need to have chores, precisely because chores are hard work. Children need to know how to work hard and how to persist at hard work.
Being effective in a future job will require an individual who knows how to persist at hard work.
Having chores teaches children important lessons. Children learn that being part of a family means contributing to the family.
One way to contribute is to do chores.
When the parent does all the housework, the child learns that their parent is their servant, and you don’t, after all, take orders or listen to your servant.
Chores are given based on the age of the child. A 4-year-old can carry their nonbreakable plate and cup over to the sink after dinner. A 5-year-old can help wipe off a table. An 8-year-old can clean a bathroom mirror, sweep a floor, and vacuum a room. A 10-year-old can clean bathroom sinks and wash floors. Preteens and teens can clean toilets and showers. Teens can also mow lawns and shovel snow.
While most chores are just expected to be done, there are “stretch jobs” for which a child can earn money. These are jobs that are above a child’s age.
For example, a 9-year-old would not get paid for cleaning a sink, but they could earn money for doing the “stretch job” of cleaning a toilet. An 11-year-old may get paid for shoveling a driveway, but a 17-year-old would not.
Learning to manage money is a vital skill; paying children for some chores, provides them money to learn to spend.
To make chores easy, post a weekly chore list with every child having a chore. Consider rotating the chores on a weekly basis.