Do your kids have chores?

[Beekissed]

He's sooo sweet!

It all gets better, down the road. My boys are big now and sometimes its hard to get them to take initiative. But there are many days when I come home from work and find a clean house, supper fixed and a boy watching a DVD and folding a basket of clothing. Those are the days when I smile, give appreciative praise and hugs, and thank God I was firm and consistent.

I think it helps that I work as hard as they do and am not just "watching from a lawn chair" also!

Keep up the good parenting, Bren!

 

[masschix]

Chores in our home are mandatory. Now that I am no longer staying home full time (got a job - yuck!), since both kids will be in elementary school this coming year, I needed the help. My DH and I sat down with the two kids and explained that when I was home, these things were my responsibility and now some of them will be theirs. We set a price for each chore they are to do. For example, if they make their bed they get 10 cents, they get 25 cents for feeding the chickens, etc... Nothing to big, I believe their chores equal $2.00 per week if they do them all. However, my son, who is turning 8, has decided that he doesn't want to do his chores all the time, so we told him that if he doesn't do his chores, then he needs to pay me to do them. Each evening after dinner, we go over the chores for the day. Let me tell you....this really works!!!!!! I also have a chart that's on the fridge for them, so they can really see how much I appreciate the things they do...I leave little messages. I am definately going to have more trouble with my DD, she's very lazy. Good luck on whatever your decision will be!

 

[SundownWaterfowl]

I think that kids should have chores, and they should get paid for them. If they dont do their chores, they dont get the money, PERIOD! It teaches them how to work.

 

[beckysuzp]

I haven't read all the posts yet, but just wanted to add my two cents, for what it's worth. Between my fiance and I we have five kids (12, 11 and 5 yo girls and 9 and 10 yo boys). Chores are madatory in my house too. We started out paying $20/each per month (cept the 5yo who got $10). This lasted for a little over 6 months, then all of the sudden the chores were getting done half-backsideed or not at all and I cut off the pay. So now no-one gets paid and they have no choice but to do their chores. And in turn, we pay for them to be in softball/baseball and go camping and boating etc etc etc, which we explained to them. Chores include: making beds including changing their sheets once a week, putting away laundry twice a week, putting away community laundry (towels etc), taking turns on the daily dishes, dusting, watering plants, feeding pets, sweeping, vacuuming, windexing the front and back doors, washing off the dining table, wiping down the bathrooms, cleaning their rooms and emptying the garbage cans. With five kids and me working full-time, there's no way I could do it all and still have a life and time to spend with them, so I consider this their contribution to our life as a family. They aren't always happy about it, but I had to do it when I was a kid, they'll live! lol And maybe eventually they'll get the message that if they don't make the darn mess in the first place, they won't have to clean it up!

 

[masschix]

Quote:
I tried that, but my DS got very lazy and said "fine by me". It didn't even phase him when we went to the store and he didn't get a toy with his earnings and his sister did.

I went through so many suggestions before I found something that worked for me.

 

[mom'sfolly]

I haven't read all the posts but here is my take. I give my kids an allowance, but it is independent of chores. The allowance is to help teach them to manage money and to keep the "can I haves" to a minimum. They get it regardless of the chores, but it will get taken away as a consquence of bad behavior. They get a quarter per week per year of age.

The chores are done because we are all part of the family and we all live in the house and have responsibilities. You clean up after yourselves, you help take care of the pets and you do yard work because those are things we all do. My kids (6 and 10) are responsible for getting their clothes to the hamper; if they don't they don't get clean clothes; they help fold the clothes and put away their own clothes, they help set and clear the table, take out and bring in the trash cans, clean their rooms and help with the pets and sometimes the older one cooks. Nothing onerous. The only one that really gives us trouble is the room cleaning, they hate it and they take forever!!!

Too often kids decide that the allowance isn't enough to justify the chores, so they stop doing the chore. By keeping them seperate and making the chores just a responsibility; the option of skipping them because they don't care about the money isn't an option. For our family it has kept the fights down. My kids indepently decided they would save up to buy a WII, so we told them we would match what they saved. It really didn't take long to get the WII, but they understood how much it was, and how much it take to get it.

I think kids need responsibilities and they need to learn how to do things. No kid should leave the family home without having an idea of how to manage money, clean a bathroom, do their laundry and cook a meal. If they don't learn these kinds of skills as a child, then you have failed as a parent. JMHO