Teaching Kids Responsibility With Chores

No one likes doing chores, not even crazy mamas like us! But they have to get done. So how do you start instilling the idea into your children that while you may not want to do chores, they have to get done?

The Mom Squad talks about how we’ve started to help our kids on the right path.

Bethany:

My Mom introduced the idea of helping out around the house when we were pretty young. We were given small tasks at first and then more and more responsibilities as we got older. She made it clear that in order to enjoy the fun things, we had to first do the necessary work.

Another idea she taught us was to clean up our messes as we went along, so that it wouldn’t be such a huge task later. This really stuck with me too. When I cook, bake, or do other messy projects, that’s exactly what I do. I clean up as I go, and it really does help too!

I started teaching my daughter this same thing when she was very young, and have done the same with my son. I don’t want them to be afraid to be messy though. So what I have taught them is that it’s ok to make a mess, we just have to clean it up after we’re done.

Now that they are getting a little older, I have started giving them little tasks to do. It is my daughter’s “job” to make sure that our dog, Buddy, has food and clean water. And, it is my son’s “job” to help me switch the laundry from the washing machine to the dryer. They both love having a job that is their responsibility and it makes them feel important.

We also keep a fairly regular schedule so that they know what to expect, and what is expected of them. Though it may seem small now, all of this helps them learn responsibility and accountability. I’m hopeful that all of this will stick with them as they get older, and they will grow into responsible adults. I know it will take lots of reinforcing (and a little luck) but hey, a Mom can hope!

Nicole:

I’m a control freak. I’ll admit it. Not a super crazy one, but I’m one of those people who would rather do everything herself rather than let someone else do it a way I may not want them to.

This is where being married and having kids can be a real challenge for me. I can’t do everything, I just can’t. As much as I want to, there aren’t enough hours in the day for me to get everything done. So I have to delegate some of those chores to other people in the house who *GASP* may do it differently than me.

My husband is awesome. He works SUPER hard so I can stay home with the kids and even after a long hard day at work, he’ll do the chores he’s supposed to do. I don’t want him to have to do too much but there are some things I just don’t have time for, and he does them! When I handed over the dishwasher to him, it was a struggle. What if he didn’t do it right?? But, I took a deep breath and tried to exhale the crazy and just let him do it however he wanted to. Funnily enough, he gets mad at me when I do it “wrong” now.

Now here’s where the kids come in. If I had this much trouble letting my grown up husband do the chores, how was I going to let my little destroyer munchkins clean up my house?? Well ... duh ... they don’t have to clean the house. They just have to THINK they’re cleaning the house.

During the day, if they’ve taken out all the race cars and are playing with those and they decide they want to play with the doll house, they have to put all the cars away first. This may sound like a lot of work, but it really helps them understand they can’t just have whatever they want whenever they want.

When they brush their teeth and wash their face at night, I tell my daughter she has to wipe down the counter with her washcloth. She doesn’t know I’m gonna go back and clean it again, she just has to know that’s how we keep the bathroom neat.

After we eat, my daughter has to clear her dishes to the sink. Often times I have to help her, but at least she knows that's what we do when we finish eating.

I’m hoping these little steps I’m taking while they’re so little will help them understand that things to just magically get put away and that everyone has to have a hand in keeping the house neat and tidy. I’m not a super neat freak, and my house is generally always messy, but we’re a clean family and I want my kids to know the difference!

Keeping the house neat with little ones around is an almost impossible task. But being consistent and explaining to children how to keep the house clean will help them do it for themselves in the future!

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How do you teach your kids about chores? What kinds of things do they do to help out around the house? We’d love to hear from you all! Please share with us in the comments below.