Search Results for: blog children can do chores

Kids Today Aren’t Assigned Chores

Do you require your children to do chores? I don’t mean the occasional request to help with a little bit of cleaning. Instead, I mean regularly assigned tasks that you expect your child to complete on a daily or weekly basis. It appears that the majority of parents today are not assigning chores to their children. A survey conducted by Whirlpool found that 82% of Americans did chores when they were children. That same survey found that only 28% of parents today are assigning their children chores. What changed between today and when the current generation of parents were kids? … Continue reading →

Teaching Responsibility Through Chores

We didn’t have a lot of chores growing up. Every Saturday we had to help clean the bathrooms, but that was about it. We helped a little here and there, but in the end, we didn’t do a whole lot to help around the house when we were kids. My mother tried, but after battling grumpy children for a couple years she finally gave up. In very little time, she had six spoiled teenagers who didn’t know how to cook or clean for themselves. I was the only one who had a consistent job through high school, and the others … Continue reading →

3 Tips for Parents When It Comes to Chores

As I near the end of January’s focus on cleaning, I want to address chores.  It’s important that housework isn’t put on the shoulders of just one person. My thinking is if you live in this house and help make it dirty, then you need to help keep it clean.  This should start at an early age. Before I get into the whole concept of chores and charts, there are some tips I would like to offer parents.  The first is, don’t look at chores as something for older kids. The younger you start a habit with a child, the … Continue reading →

Should You Pay for Chores?

Parenting experts disagree vehemently on the issue of whether or not children should be paid for chores. Each side strongly believes that they are right, quoting studies and analysis that support their position. With such a polarized debate on the issue, what should parents think? How can they determine whether or not to pay their children for chores or to offer an allowance outright that requires no work conditions on the child’s part? Let us take a look at both sides of the issue. On the one hand, paying a child for chores rather than giving a free and clear … Continue reading →

When The Babies Don’t Leave The Nest

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I am a helicopter parent. I would like to blame that on being a single parent but I think I would have been a helicopter parent no matter what. They are different schools of thought on this type of hovering, but basically, it is seen as something that interferes with our children’s independence. Because we hover the kids don’t learn to make their own mistakes and fix things, we are always there to jump in and save the day. Now studies are seeing a new trend, kids who never leave home. This seems to be a result of several things, … Continue reading →

Fresh Ideas For Outdoor Play

Even the most outdoorsy kids sometimes need suggestions for new ways to enjoy being outside. The next time boredom strikes when you are playing outside with your toddler, suggest one of these fun activities. You may just discover a new favorite outdoor activity. Sometimes, the best way to mix things up outside is to do things outdoors that you would normally do indoors. If it is lunch time, why not spread out a blanket and enjoy a picnic on the lawn. Reading is another great indoor activity that can easily be enjoyed outdoors. If your child enjoys having tea parties … Continue reading →

The Couple that Does Chores Together, Stays Together

On a recent episode of the sitcom “Raising Hope,” the married couple in the show clash over the division of their chores. They each make the other person do the chore they hate most, but by the end of the episode they’ve started doing those tasks together. They find that the jobs they hate most aren’t really so bad when they do them together. It struck me just how true to life that is (which is a rare thing to find on television). If I really don’t want to do something around the house, I’ve found it’s a lot easier … Continue reading →

You Can Have It All

Why isn’t there a super hero single mother? Some days I feel like I must be super human to get it all done. Unfortunately I’m not super human and at the end of most days I’m just tired. Women in general seem to shoulder the lions share of child rearing and housekeeping, and have for a very long time. Things are getting better, more fathers are actively involved in raising their kids and more men are helping around the house. The majority still falls to the women, and when you are a single mother, there is no majority, it’s all … Continue reading →

Age Appropriate Chores in Different Eras

On my daughter’s bedroom wall, there is a list. I like to have a can-do attitude about things, so instead of having a list of the chores that she must do, there’s a list of things that she’s able to do. It includes items like “brush teeth and comb hair,” “pick out clothes,” and “make bed”. My daughter can also set the table for dinner, and apparently she can remove everything from her school bag and sort it, although this skill seems to be one we need to work on! While I like to think of my daughter as a … Continue reading →

Let Your Toddler Help With The Chores

Toddlers love to be involved in pretty much anything that their parents do. They even seem to enjoy things that older children do not seem to like very much. Things like doing dishes, laundry, yard work, and any number of other chores that you do in and around your home are surprisingly appealing to toddlers. Now is a good time to get your little one involved in lending a helping hand around the house. Giving your toddler opportunities to “do” household chores alongside you in an age appropriate way teaches responsibility and helpfulness. Many toddlers are naturally helpful by nature … Continue reading →