Do your kids have chores?

[FunnyFarmer]

The summer I turned fourteen I mowed 3-4 acres with a pushmower--an hour a day every day. Not all nice smooth yard either. I was SO glad when we got a riding mower.

My kids do chores--they do almost all of the small animal care and my 7 year old DS fills the horses water buckets. (He's allergic to hay or he'd be doing that too.) They have to finish their chores in the morning before they get breakfast--otherwise they'd spend half the morning dawdling. (Being a homeschooling family helps here--they don't have to be out the door at the crack of dawn.) They get an allowance too, but it isn't tied to their chores. We figure it like this--they do chores because they are members of the family and they will contribute to the workload. They get allowance because they are members of the family--and that's also a tool to help them start learning about money. They can earn extra money by doing extra chores such as hauling brush, or picking up rocks and sticks, etc.

Erika

 

[TheOLDNewChick]

I have chores, and have had them since I was about six years old.


I also get an allowance, though. Mainly because I'm usually playing the "housewife", if you'll put it that way. My momma is always working down at the nursery or doing this, that, and the other. So I usually watch my brother, along with cook, clean, do the laundry, etc. That's generally how I pay my feed bill. I pay my phone bill by working down at the nursery for minimum wage in the evenings, or cleaning the laundromat.


But yes, I have chores.

 

[Frozen Feathers]

I never got an allowance for anything. I actually remember the two times I received money from my parents. I wonder why I am so terrible with money.

I had to do chores, vacuum, wash dishes (by hand for family of 5), the floor, whatever my parents had in store for me, including shoveling snow, raking etc. My sister and I pretty much did everything, I even cooked most nights since my mother was "too tired" from working her 7 hr a day office job, of course I took care of animals, fixed breakfast, went to school, came home, took care of animals and had a job most of my teenage life and still had to do homework...but anyway.

My brother, on the other hand, had to take out the trash every few days. I hated it. I hate cleaning to this day.

Don't get me wrong, I believe that kids should have some responsibility and help out, like making bed and taking of their animals should be a given, but extra stuff like shoveling snow, stacking wood, stuff that they wouldn't do every day, give them a few dollars for.

But I wouldn't expect them to take care of the entire household. If I was just sitting on my butt and having my kids do all the chores, well, that's just plain wrong.

 

[Break an Egg]

When it was just me and my then 1 yr old and my husband, he went out and worked, an I stayed home and cooked, cleaned and took care of the baby.

Now that my four stepkids are here, I refuse to do it all. They are old enough to contribute to our household. Even my 2 yr old will pick up her toys and put them back in the toy box.

I found out a long time ago that they will only reach the expectations that you set for them.

 

[arlee453]

Quote:
AMEN, Sister - well said!!

 

[chicknmania]

Ours have always had chores since they were old enough to talk and understand. It does teach them responsibility. We pay them, but no much, and not for every chore, either. Now ours are teenagers and our oldest is a young adult still living at home. They help with mowing, yard work, dishes, cooking, animal and farm chores, housework, house repairs and painting, helping my disabled husband if he needs it, and washing and car maintenance. We have a big house and a lot of land. And yes, they complain and lots of their friends don't have to do anything, but, who cares. This is teaching them about life. And they don't complain that much. There are lots of rewards, too, and they have plenty of free time. I always tell them if they don't want to do chores, they can always pay rent. This usually stops the complaining. They still figure out ways to wiggle out of doing as much as possible.

 

[EweSheep]

Rarely we had allowances when we were grown up. Mom pretty much did most of the work except for our own pets and rooms we were expected to keep it neat and animals fed and watered and cleaned up after.

I pretty much do everything around the house and chicken chores. I have a four year old daughter who has been wanting to help like setting the table, loading dirty clothes in washer and picking up her blankets and toys out of the living room and bathroom...is there any other chores I can include?

 

[lorieMN]

we never got an allowance or were paid for chores,I grew up on a beef/grain operation with 1 sister and 4 brothers,we were all expected to pull our own weight with a smile on our face,I am very good with money these days,dont mind riding the rack for 900 bales of hay,and can drive just about any type of equipment you can find...hard work never hurt anyone( tho some might think you are killing them)..LOL..for those getting 10 bucks an hour to do extra chores,WOW!!!! thats as much as a starting wage for most full grown people..

 

[Break an Egg]

Quote:
Put some of the thick winter socks on her hands, and let her dust all the stuff she can reach. A four year old doesn't have the attention span to fold laundry, but whatever you have her do, make it fun.

 

[a2ms4chickens]

Both of my boys have chores. They both clean the kitchen 2 days a week, clean their rooms, and empty the trash. My 16 yr old also feeds the dog everyday and cleans the dog doo doo in the yard each week. My 11 yr old, feeds & waters the cats and the chickens, and on the weekends he helps me clean the chicken pen.

A lot of times they would rather play their video games, or computer. I do have to remind them to do their chores, now that they are older.

We don't pay them an allowance or pay them for the chores. We did try to pay them for their chores at one time, but it never really worked out. We tell them that they are part of this family and they have to help us out.

We do give them their school lunch money, buy their school clothes, and anything else they need, not what they want.

Both of my boys know how to clean the house, and cook what they like to eat. My 16 yr old will also do laundry. I'm still working on my 11yr old.

They are both good boys, so we are not harming them in any way by giving them chores. Though by the way they talk, we expect way to much from them. They have lives too!!!