What are you canning now?

[aceschix]

My children actually have quite a few chores (this mostly applies to the oldest two ages 9 and 6) .  They make their beds every morning, pick up their rooms, empty the dishwasher.  The oldest helps her 3 year old sister pick out clothes for the day and then does her own quiet devotion time.  After breakfast, the oldest two, often accompanied by the 3 year old (soon to be 4), let the chickens out and make sure they have food and water.  When it is time to clean the coop, they do it together.  I take the wheel barrel to the dump spot because they can't physically manage that without dumping it along the way. 

2 mornings a week, my oldest makes breakfast.  Scrambled eggs and sausage.  The 6 year old is learning how to help make eggs...still working on cracking an egg without the shells getting in.  At dinner time, they rotate who pours the drinks for everyone and who sets the table.  They all (even the almost 2 year old) bring their dirty dishes to the sink and scrape anything that needs to be scraped.  She will often ask if she can make sandwiches for everyone for lunch.

My 9 year old cleans the kids bathroom 1x a week, including scrubbing the toilet and washing the mirror (I do it 1x a week too).  She is in charge of keeping the living room clean (putting away excess toys, papers, movies, arranging pillows, vacuuming etc.).  And she helps fold laundry (she can't reach into the bottom of the washer in order to switch over the laundry...not sure I will be able to once the new washer comes!)  My 6 year old is in charge of keeping the mudroom picked up, helps fold laundry as well).  The 3 year old tags along with either of them or with me.

They often help me can or bake.  They husk the corn whenever we have corn on the cob.  They help me with both the veggie and flower gardens.  Help me can.  My oldest often asks if she can put her little sister to bed and read her the goodnight stories. 


However, their standard of clean is not MY standard of clean.  I find myself having to re-clean things they already clean.  And they are children, so when I am doing "spring cleaning" or organizing my pantry or some such thing and they are stuck in the house since it is just TOO hot to play outside, they have turned the dinning room table into a covered wagon and the chairs into their horses pulling it.  They will have all the "stuff" that goes along with their game.  Do they get sidetracked and forget to pick it up without being told sometimes...absolutely! 

I don't except foolishness, but I do expect childishness.

See, now that's what I'm talking about!

Rock on with your parenting train!

 

[rancher hicks]

In my experience "farm" kids are an exception to the comments above. I work in a public school system and whole heartedly understand where he is coming from.

My kiddos work (10 & 13) their butts off here compared to alot of their peers. It is up too each family to do what is right for them. I do believe that respect, resposibility and all other morals and values start - or should start - at home. But I hear you...I too worry about the changes I see.

Don't get me wrong I love kids and we would have had more if we could have afforded it and DW could didn't nearly die. But we have friends who tell the story of a girl in the church who after she got married called her mother to find out how to boil water. Kids shouldn't have to be dependents their who life. It's not fair to them.

 

[aceschix]

Quote: Agreed!

 

[sonew123]

Agreed!

Totally agree!!! My sisters sons that are now 18 and 21 couldnt or didnt have to do a thing for the,selves!!! Mynsister did it all and still does...they came over to my house just a few years ago (2-3?) and asked me to make them sandwhiches because they didnt know how too!!! I was just about choking! I pulled out everything and made them make them! It was pathetic! They were lost! That night they sat back and watched my youngest who was 11 make omelettes..bacon..toast and english muffins for everyones dinner!!!!

I yelled at my sister later that night telling her she has severly handicapped her children!!!

 

[holyhart]

Totally agree!!! My sisters sons that are now 18 and 21 couldnt or didnt have to do a thing for the,selves!!! Mynsister did it all and still does...they came over to my house just a few years ago (2-3?) and asked me to make them sandwhiches because they didnt know how too!!! I was just about choking! I pulled out everything and made them make them! It was pathetic! They were lost! That night they sat back and watched my youngest who was 11 make omelettes..bacon..toast and english muffins for everyones dinner!!!!
I yelled at my sister later that night telling her she has severly handicapped her children!!!

This sadly is my husband when it comes to cooking or housework. His mother did everything. She cleaned his room for him every single day while he was at school. If I wont be home for dinner, he makes the kids grilled or nuked hot dogs with potato chips, cereal, or PB&J. Or he just takes them out. I guess I should say he WAS that way. He now will grill burgers and make salad (kids help with that...they like peeling the carrots and cukes). Often though he just takes them out. He generally only helps clean if company is coming. He does most of the outside work (with the exceptions of the gardens and chickens).

I always say that my MIL did my no favors. I decided to make sure my kids would be able to do just about anything around the house. Hubby even has plans to teach the girls how to change oil and that kind of stuff!

I was recently watching a friends little girl who is 7. She wanted a banana but didn't know how to peel one.

 

[Happy Chooks]

I agree - kids should be able to function when they leave the house. Making them dependent their whole lives is not fair to them and just sets them up for failure. Schools around here don't even teach kids how to balance a checkbook. If you can't manage finances, you'll always be in the hole.

Both my kids love to help in the kitchen, and I let them help. My 9 year old wanted to make macaroni and cheese "all by himself", so I let him. (with supervision of course) Sometimes it is hard when you just want to get it done quickly, but I also don't want to prohibit them from helping around the house.




vfem.........I want to grow black beans next year.

 

[Olive Hill]

Schools around here don't even teach kids how to balance a checkbook.

I think the real problem is, just perhaps, that we expect the schools to.

As far as I am concerned it is not the school's job to teach my kids basic life skills, and I don't want their classroom time wasted on it. American students are far enough behind their international counterparts, do we really want to take another 30 minutes away from Science to do the job that parents should be doing?

 

[sonew123]

I think the real problem is, just perhaps, that we expect the schools to.  

As far as I am concerned it is not the school's job to teach my kids basic life skills, and I don't want their classroom time wasted on it.  American students are far enough behind their international counterparts, do we really want to take another 30 minutes away from Science to do the job that parents should be doing?  

Totally totally agree AMEN!!! My youngest who is now 13 cooks all the time and she is actually very good!!! I called her yesterday at 3 and told her to put in chicken..she spiced that sucker up and cooked the side entrees too!!! She LOVES it when I ask her to cook whatever she wants tomhelp us for dinner!!! Sometimes its a tad frightening but overall!! Shes awesome!!! How could a mom NOT want their children to help like that???

 

[holyhart]

 

[Olive Hill]

Totally totally agree AMEN!!! My youngest who is now 13 cooks all the time and she is actually very good!!! I called her yesterday at 3 and told her to put in chicken..she spiced that sucker up and cooked the side entrees too!!! She LOVES it when I ask her to cook whatever she wants tomhelp us for dinner!!! Sometimes its a tad frightening but overall!! Shes awesome!!! How could a mom NOT want their children to help like that???

I think it boils down to the fact that when they're young (when you SHOULD be teaching them) it's more work to do so. Having a little "helper" in the kitchen or the laundry room or wherever often isn't really any help, so parents get impatient, figure it's easier to just do it themselves and before they know it the kid is so old they've missed that opportunity to teach them when learning it would have been "fun" and the kid resents the "work" they're suddenly being burdened with. And so the cycle begins anew, this time though it's easier to do it themselves because the kid has never had to help before and is throwing a fit over it being "unfair".