I know we’ve discussed jobs for kids before but two people in the last couple days have commented to me on how ‘well trained’ I have my children just because they help out around the house.
It makes me smile when people tell me what good kids they are simply because they help out around the house or that I must be strict because I give them set tasks to do.
The ‘Good Kids’
My children help out around the house because we all live in the house together and we all contribute to the mess that’s inevitably made and the jobs that need doing. So why wouldn’t they be expected to help out a little bit?
They have daily jobs that they do every afternoon and weekly jobs that they do over the weekend and none of them are difficult or time consuming.
To give you an idea, Master Frugal on a daily basis has to tidy the shoes up in the hall, hoover the living room and then once a week he dusts the unit in the living room and the small side table and gives the living room windowsill a wipe down. He is also responsible for keeping his own room tidy and making sure that he clears up after himself when he leaves a mess. That’s not too taxing for an 11 year old is it?
As well as keeping her room tidy and clearing up her own mess, Miss Frugal sweeps the kitchen floor every day and puts the pots away as well as giving the dining room table a clean down after tea. Once a week she’ll give the bureau and the kitchen shelves a dust as well which is hardly difficult for a 13 year old! She has the option to give the house a ‘superclean’ which is when she will spend about an hour and a half just cleaning and tidying everywhere and for that, I do pay her because she does such a thorough job and it’s a genuine pleasure to walk through the door and see everything sparkling and tidy.
I’d say they can do their daily jobs in less than 15 minutes which is a lot less time than I spend on my daily jobs. And once their jobs are done, they’re allowed to play on electronics or go out with their friends which I think is a pretty good deal!
Does expecting them to help around the house mean that I’m mean or that they’re well trained?
I don’t think so!
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