For my good friends, you all know one of my big stresses are that my kids don't do chores. I admit it is so MY fault, and a little of my mom's too. Don't get me wrong, I did have chores when I was young, I remember doing dishes... oh and cleaning my room on Saturdays. My house when I was young was PERFECT! My mom is crazier than I am and thinks cleaning is therapeutic! (I warned you she was crazy!) So our house always looked beautiful. I few things I forget when I compare it to mine now....
1. My dad is a little compulsive, ok a lot, and for the most part picks up after himself and keeps his area very clean, including his laundry in the hamper and soda cans in the trash.
2. There were only two of us, me and my older sister, and we were smart! We learned quickly that if we picked up after ourselves we didn't worry about it later.
3. My dad worked a lot, my mom worked, and my sister and I were the only ones home and it just didn't get that messy.
Now, my mom may remember things differently, and she's probably right, but I have and always had way too high of expectations for my house. It's caused problems! We have tried tons of chore charts and different ways to do it but what happens is either they do it and I re-do it to my moms high standards. Or we would get caught up with other things and I wouldn't stay on them and I would end up doing it myself.
NOT THIS TIME! For the last 5 weeks straight it has been good, not great, but good. They each have the same chore for one week. Kitchen, Dishes, Bathroom and laundry, and living room. Then Monday night at Family Home Evening we discuss how they did and they rotate. They can't leave their job messy or they have it another week, plus their next station. (so far that hasn't happened)
Last night Trever was doing dishes, he is still so little. I had to teach him and still have to help a little but it was great to see and he was so proud of himself for doing it. Wow things MAY change, I may not have lazy kids after all!
4 comments:
Yay for chores. I'm working on my kids... the get assignments from me depending on what needs to be done (because they are little) but I refuse to be the maid. I am a homemaker, but I draw the line at picking up dirty undies off the floor, right next to the clothes basket... I share your lack of capacity when it comes to chore charts. I've tried. I've failed. Weekly seems like a good idea!
Noticed you were NOT there yesterday. (Just sayin. Hang in there.)
Ok. So this all sounds great and is something I have tried to do and want to do but my one question is......WHERE DO YOU FIND THE TIME??? I know you are as busy as us so do they stay up till 10 doing chores? lol Just asking!
Yeah for you!! We never had chores as kids...except for saturdays when mom would leave a HUGE list of everything that didn't get done during the week. I think your way is great. Just one question...how old before I can start assigning them to mine?!?!
hmmm...I dont remember having such high standards, but its nice to be thougth of that way. I do know that with a full time job, and raising two girls while your dad was gone, the only I day I could clean was Saturday. I do remember that kids's idea of clean and parents idea of clean are usually NOT the same. (What? my rooms not messy..)As for the crazy part....well the nut does not fall to far from the tree..lol
love you mom
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