Running a family, a home, a job and a life is a busy experience even once your kids have grown.
I have found that one of the best ways to cope is to sit down as a family and discuss who does what and share out the household chores.
Contractual cooperation works
By all sitting down together, when things are calm and you’re all in the mood to cooperate and be together, agreement is usually pretty easy to reach regarding who will do what.
I hear several disbelieving groans in the distance. But, try it and you might be surprised. The fact is, you all love one another and desire, in your heart, to help one another. Kids have no issue at all chipping in when they feel they have been asked to take on a responsibility and given a fair voice at the discussion table. They will be happy to help.
Once agreed, get it done
Once you have agreed your part, all you need to do is make sure that you fulfill your end of the bargain. If you don’t do your bit, you wont have a leg to stand on with your kids. Fair’s fair!
Getting your kids to do their chores
The truth is, I simply ask my kids (rather than tell them) when they plan to do something and this prompts them to get it done within a certain timeframe. I have written about this in more detail in a past blog; 10 tips to nurture more helpful kids
However, there are also lots of other good places to get advice on this topic. Why not check out the following:
- “I’ll Do It Later!”6 Ways to Get Kids to Do Chores Now at Empowering Parents
- How to get your children to do their chores by Dr Ruth A. Peters (t from her book ‘Laying Down the Law’)
- Getting Kids To Do Chores by Joanne McNulty – comes with free printable chore charts
shadowrun300
January 31, 2012 at 10:50 pm
Hi! After seeing that you “liked” my post, I hopped on over here to check out yours!
This one is the first that I have read….so far…. and I feel like you wrote it for me!
I’ve just recently sat down with my family of 4 children ranging from 19 to 13, and spoke with them about responsibilities and being self-disciplined enough to push aside what they WANT to do, and first do what they are EXPECTED to do. Unfortunately it wasn’t a two-way discussion, as much as I had wanted it to be. So I look forward to reading more of your advice in the next few days.
As well — How awesome is it that you have the support of your family to travel and take on new adventures. You’re a very lucky girl! I’ll be stopping in more often to check out your stories.
Happy Trails!
Sarah M. Lawton
February 1, 2012 at 8:45 pm
What a lovey message. Thanks for stopping by and I look forward to further feedback from you.
I am a lucky girl and I know it!
Good luck keeping the communication lines with your family open.
Some days can seem more difficult than others.
Gregg
February 2, 2012 at 9:11 pm
I wanted to teach my kids this same stuff and started http://www.myjobchart.com. Now there are 130,000 kids using it with hundreds joining each day. Check it out… it’s free!
Sarah M. Lawton
February 2, 2012 at 9:57 pm
Thanks Gregg. Lucky for me my kids are already well trained but I’m sure some of my readers will appreciate your link.
Candida Abrahamson
February 7, 2012 at 9:14 pm
I’m so glad you linked in to my post so I could find you–I find your writing down-to-earth, practical, REAL, and very much a pleasure. I also racked my bloggy brains, after reading some of your posts, to see if you might find anything else I’ve done useful, and I thought you might like one on helping teenagers develop by letting them learn from their own mistakes at http://candidaabrahamson.wordpress.com/2011/12/10/freedom-and-responsibility-what-changes-in-high-school-learning-through-mistakes/. Hope you enjoy! Candida
Sarah M. Lawton
February 7, 2012 at 9:45 pm
Thanks CAndida
What lovely compliments. *blush*
What a great post. I hope some of my readerts will take the opportunity to check out your blog too.
Sarah