C is for “Chores”: Yes, They’re Good for Kids!
Note: This post is part of an A to Z blogging challenge I’m participating in.
I told ya it would be a few days before I got to the next letter…better late than never, right? Onto the letter C!
So…I read an article the other day that discussed whether children should have chores. Apparently, a mom had shared a post of her small son helping with housework and it went viral, with many other parents sharing photos of their own children helping out around the house.
And then…there were the other parents…who claimed that asking children to do chores is harmful to their wellbeing. Some people sounded off, saying that kids are not “slaves” and shouldn’t be “forced” to do the chores that parents don’t want to do.
Wait, what?
How is this even a debate?
Aside from it being simple common sense, all of the research I’ve read shows that yes, children should do chores. Why? Because it turns them into responsible, self-sufficient adults. End of story.
Guess what happens to children who don’t do chores? They turn into bratty, entitled teenagers and adults who don’t know how to be accountable for their own actions or look after themselves. If children never learn to clean up after themselves, or do laundry, or cook, who’s going to do it for them?
The sad part is, recent research studies have found that only around 30 percent of children do chores today, as opposed to 80 percent of children in the past.
From an early age, I was part of the 80 percent.
I had to keep my room clean, help with dinner and dishes and help dust and vacuum the house. I distinctly remember one of my chores was scrubbing the bathroom. I hated it. Loathed it, actually. But guess what? When I moved out on my own, I knew how to fend for myself. I could cook, clean and do laundry like a boss – all thanks to my mom’s insistence that I learn how to handle these things myself when I was living at home. (Thanks, Mom!)
My own daughter has had chores since she was a toddler. Her primary chores at that age: putting her toys away and throwing dirty clothes in the hamper. We would sing the “Clean Up!” song and make a game out of it. By the age of 5, she was cleaning her room, setting the table and helping me clean up the kitchen. Now, at 8, she’s helping me cook, helps with laundry and voluntarily cleans her room – and I mean truly cleans it. She actually started begging me to let her clean the litter box. Weird, I know.
She lives here, so she’s expected to help to keep the house (relatively) clean…especially those parts of the house that she uses the most, like her bedroom and the gameroom, which now looks more like a toy warehouse. Does she get an allowance? Not really. Sure, I will give her a lil’ money for certain things, if she goes out of her way to help me with something that’s out of the ordinary, such as cleaning before a party or whatnot.
And here’s a not-so-secret: Many kids, especially very small ones, LOVE helping out around the house. This is why toy manufacturers make pint-sized vacuum cleaners and pretend irons and kitchens and washing machines. Kids feel valued and appreciated when they’re asked to help. This helps with their self-esteem and helps to turn them into confident adults.
I refuse to raise a child who doesn’t know how to look after herself. I refuse to raise a child who doesn’t know how to cook or clean or fix things on her own. I refuse to raise an entitled brat, so yes. My child does chores.
Do your children have chores? Share your thoughts in the comments below!