Whistle While You Work

Over the weekend myself and the kiddos went to visit my grandparents. While chatting about how school was going and how tall everyone had gotten, we somehow came around to the topic of kids and cell phones, which came around to the topic of children feeling entitled, and my Grandpa was officially on a roll. He frequently reminds us about how hard he worked as a young man and how my generation and those to come will never know what it means to really have to forge their own way.  As he's telling us about working all week after school to have enough money to buy a baseball to play with on the weekend, my son, who is 12, quietly spoke up and shared that he has to work on the weekends to earn the money to pay his share of our cell phone bill, in addition to his daily chores. He helps his dad mow lawns every Saturday morning and his earnings cover his cell phone and whatever he has left is his to keep.  My Grandpa, maybe for the first time ever, was speechless, which got me thinking...is the way we handle chores and money matters in our home the norm, or not?

This is our chore chart. It's not fancy, but it's effective and fits our family nicely. Everyone has chores, that they are not paid for. These chores are just what we do to pitch in and be a responsible member of the family. On the bottom there are extra chores that they can choose to do to earn cash.

Chores are decided by age and split evenly, some are daily, like dishes, while others are weekly, like taking up the trash can on pick up day.

Folding laundry, dinner dishes, sweeping up the floor, and tidying up the bathroom are just a few of the things the kids pitch in with here.

Chores can be adapted for children as young as 2, even toddlers can understand the concept of cleaning up their toys. Chores also give children a sense of ownership and pride in a job well done, and give children a sense of responsibility. A huge plus in implementing a chore system is that it helps us out! By not having to fold that load of towels and sweeping the kitchen floor, you've gained 30 minuets of quality time with the kiddos! 

Are chores a normal part of your kids day in your home?