Customize your children’s chores. They can become an expert in one or two particular areas. You and your children will always know who is responsible for a particular chore. This will end the “it’s not my turn” or “I did that last time” mentality.
One of my sons is the sanitary engineer of the house. Every morning he empties and re-lines the waste baskets throughout our home. This allows me to be certain that every day we start out with fresh containers. He has taken ownership of this position. There may be an occasion where he forgets to complete his job, but a gentle reminder is all that is needed.
My younger daughter is responsible for stocking essential products in our bathrooms. Every morning she checks the supplies and makes certain that each bathroom has the appropriate paper, soap and shampoo products that are needed. She restocks from a supply that we keep in the garage and communicates with me when I need to purchase additional products.
In the evening, after dinner, one of my sons vacuums the hardwood and tile throughout the main floor of our home. It only takes him about 10 minutes and eases a housekeeping burden during a very busy time of my day.
I call upon my children to assist me in various and random areas during the day. All of them assist me in the kitchen as sous chefs, help me pick up toys, put away laundry, and keep their own rooms neat. However, customizing some of their chores has certainly been beneficial in our home. It has eliminated unnecessary negative conversations:
- “Who’s responsibility was it to empty the trash in the schoolroom?”
- “Who’s turn is it to empty the dishwasher?”
- “Could one of you vacuum under the dining room table?”
- etc.
Customizing chores has allowed me to train my children in certain skills. For instance, my son knows that one cannot run a vacuum along a white floor board. He also understands that one must actually move furniture when you vacuum and not simply run into the chair legs with the vacuum.
Our children have learned the importance of finishing a job correctly the first time. It actually saves energy. If one does not line the waste basket after emptying it, he then must clean it out as well.
Children actually enjoy finishing tasks correctly. They do not like being nagged. Let’s face it: nagging rarely works well. So give them tasks and jobs in which they can be trained and become experts. I even pay my children for their terrific work.
Discuss your expectations with your children concerning their particular responsibilities and teach them to follow through on their jobs. You will have a more peaceful home (and a little neater one as well!).
“Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will serve before kings; he will not serve before obscure men.” –Proverbs 22:29
I love posts like this. It’s so great to hear from more experienced moms how to handle children and housework — the two toughest jobs I face.