Kids helping with housework.

2SWEET

What are your view on kids helping around the house? Do you think they should be taught to tidy up after themselves from an early age or have everything done for them?
I'm asking because my 9 year old son who has been asked to help out from an early age, and never had a problem doing so, has recently started to complain that he's friends do nothing to help out at home and their mums don't ask them to either.
He could well be trying to get out of doing his share but i would still like to hear what others think on the subject.

Sleepy

Our 4 year old tidies up all the toys himself and his sister play with during the day.
His 1 year old sister has just learned how to put things in the bin for me and her mammy (though at the moment everything else is going in the bin too!). As soon as they're old enough to want pocket money it'll be coming with a list of chores to earn it (emptying the dishwasher, keeping their rooms tidy etc.)

No parent should be picking up toys for a child who's old enough to do it themselves imho.

2SWEET

My thoughts exactly Sleepy, Don't want my kids growing up and not having some kind of independence. They would get nowhere in life having everything done for them.
Both my kids tidy their own rooms, help with setting the table and clearing up after dinner, and since i had my third 3 months ago they will help by getting things i may need for him, as soon as he is old enough he'll be taught the same! They only problem i have now is the complaining from the 9 year, don't get me wrong he still does whats asked of him, just with a little moan thrown in, was starting to think i was being too strict with them!:)

Sleepy

Not at all, sounds like he's just getting near puberty!

Nevyn

I don't think you are, I worry I am too soft on mine, they are made tidy thier rooms and but thier folded washing away and tidy the sitting room and set the table for dinner.

All of which means they learn to do for themselves, they will respect the house more as they grow up and to not treat you as a slave.

2SWEET

Sleepy wrote: »

Not at all, sounds like he's just getting near puberty!

Yeah you could well be right there.Guess i'll have to learn to block out the moaning for the next few years:eek:

cbyrd

i have no problem with my girls helping me out.. especially now i'm 12 days overdue!! but from early on i encouraged it.. there's nothing worse than a helpless adult and when are you going to make it 'the norm' if not from the start!! my eldest is almost 11 and last year when she turned 10 i told her that she would have her usual keep your room tidy jobs, but also some more around the house like empty the washing machine into the dryer, she hoovers and polishes and empties the dishwasher.. pretty basic stuff but she get €5 a week for credit for her phone.. it works she doesn't feel like a slave and she knows i value the help i get.. which i do.. they get all the jobs i hate doing!!! hahaha:D she's also a dab havd at making t !!;)

wolfpawnat

My son is only 10 months old so as of yet he is not doing anything chores wother than learning that after his toys are played with he gets to throw them back into the toy box. But when he is old enough he will be taught how the clean his room, turn on the dishwasher and other small jobs. You can't let children think that they do not need to earn pocket money. Plus have you ever seen a college apartment, you can tell which people actually know how to look after themselves! and which go home to mammy at the weekend with all their washing and home needs

smelltheglove

Kids definitely need to learn to tidy up after themselves. My house looks like a disaster zone while they are playing and although I feel like a constant nag asking them to clean up after themselves I'd go demented otherwise.

When I was young we had our daily things like washing the dishes and clearing the counter etc but we also had weekly chores too. Each of us had articular things to do on a Friday, mine was dusting and bathrooms, my sister was hoovering, my brother got off lightly as he worked and we took turns hoovering and mopping. At the end of the day my dad would check it and we would get £15 pocket money to do us for the week. Not many of our friends had so many chores to do but not many of them got so much pocket money or respect in return for their input as we did. As soon as my kids get old enough they will have similar chores but for now it is bedroom and cleaning up after themselves.

Anyone else remember being so small washing the dishes that they had to stand on a chair?

byhookorbycrook

Children ,as part of a household, should contribute.Maria Montessori always maintained "Every unnecessary aid arrests development,"so if you do it for your child at an early age, you are not doing them favours.

metrovelvet

My two year old loves helping with the hoover, the mopping, laundry dishes, putting things in the bin. But until recently would do all that but refuse to put his toys back. I started a reward star chart for all his little tasks there is resistence on and so far it has been working out very well. You do not need to justify to your 9 year old why he has to clean up his own crap. Tell him to stop whinging about it or its going in the bin.

snuggles09

i've a 7,4 and 1 year old and the two eldest have their own chore sheet on the fridge which ranges from set the table, make your bed, put rubbish in bin. nothing over the top. if they do all their chores they get pocket money at end of the week. it teaches them responsibility i think.

i was forever picking up toys and bits of polly pockets and hair go gos off the ground so the rule now is i warn them 5 mins before i sweep up or hoover and if any of their stuff in on the ground when i go to sweep up or hoover its either in the bin or up the hoover:P there hasn't been a thing ever left on the ground:D

Quackles

My mother never made us do housework or tidy up after ourselves when we were young, and it is something that still doesn't come naturally to me to this day. I have to remember to put things away, it's not second nature to me at all. I don't make the 11 month old do anything yet, because, well, he just eats things, but the 4 year old puts things in the bin for mammy, I'll make him tidy his own toys. It can take an hour because he stops to play with every. single. one. but I don't want him to grow up to be like me!!

Ickle Magoo

My two help with the housework, cooking, working the washing machine, gardening, you name it. They are given age appropriate jobs to help out and they really enjoy it. The only "chore" they don't like is tidying their toys back into their toy boxes, which is tough because at this stage I have scars on the soles of my feet with little dimples and lego written on them.

I can't imagine running around mopping up after the kids, I think I'd get quite resentful once they reached a certain age if I was still expected to do basic stuff like make their beds or tidy up after them - maybe other parents see it as a "duty" or something?

anathea

Children should have their own responsibilities and chores as part of the household. I do not believe in financial rewards for doing household work. There should be firm punishment if it is not done properly. Children need to learn financial discipline so interfreing with their income is a bad policy. They have to learn to budget and pay outgoings.

Quality

My 10 year old daughter is a great help to me

She empties dishwasher, clears plates from table and keeps her room tidy.

She gets pocket money and then she feels that she earns it. If she is looking for money for pictures or credit, she earns that by doing a little job for me.

i think it is important for kids to learn the value of money and also that there are certain responsibilities when growing up.

I would also like to say that she does not complain about having to do anything (well not seriously) and that she enjoys the praise I give her when she does a good job on her room!:)


I also have two boys, My 1 year old is to young, But my 4 year old will tidy after a kick up the arse....

hazeler

Quality wrote: »

i think it is important for kids to learn the value of money and also that there are certain responsibilities when growing up.

I totally agree here, my 8 year old has been doing chores since she was very small. when she first understood the idea of pocket money we opened a credit union account. She gets pocket money each week (€5) when she has her checklist done, tidy her room, collect dirty clothes, put away her laundry, set table for dinner etc. Its like her "job"! She has learnt the value too as she puts the money into the CU and its for "college", because material costs alot in when you're fashion college!! my girl is gonna be the next Vivien Westwood!!