A long time ago I wondered why my sister-in-law got so much done in her day, while my day just seemed to vanish without much accomplished. It was then that I learned she planned her work and worked her plan.
Hence, chore charts. The children had a new thing in their lives: the chart on the fridge. Plus individual cards were made listing the tasks required for each chore. So for Kitchen it might say
1. set the table 2. clear the table 3. wash & dry dishes 4. put dishes away. 5. wipe the counters and the stove. 6. sweep the floor.
For bathroom it might say: 1. wipe mirror 2. clean sink and tub. 3. clean toilet 4. sweep floor
5. add toilet paper roll if needed.
Anyway, you get the picture. We had 7 children so we had 7 chores. The kitchen one was divided so 2 people could work that one job.
Yeah, they complained and did not want to really do their chores. I explained that their cousins who lived on a farm had far greater chores than these. That this was their home and they needed to care for it.
The other thing I added was when they were 12 they got to do their own laundry. This way they might take care of it better. It showed them they could be responsible for more things.
To all this I might add that this was the plan. They really did not do this whole-heartedly. It was a chore for me to get them to do this.
Our house always looked "lived-in". I did not expect a magazie picture house. But I wanted it so it could be "picked up" fast if we got company.
I kinda have that look of being "lived-in" now. And I also have a chore chart for myself.
I get more done when I follow it. Let's see today is tuesday, so it is laundry day. Gotta go. C-U-Later.
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4 comments:
yeah, yeah... i should make my kids do chores. hehe.
Actually -- I did away with the rotating chore chart. I was tired of hearing "Why should I have to clean this mess today when it was so-and-so's turn yesterday and he didn't do it!" So, they each have an area of the house that is their jurisdiction. 1 chore + their bedroom + their own laundry. I figure that's fair. They don't necessarily stick to it everyday but they know what is expected of them if they want the privilege of going to friends' houses, etc. Anyway -- at least it's a plan.
what, you guys don't have a maid? Oh, wait, neither do I.
We've tried chore charts. I find that letting them do the same chore everyday works better. I haven't found the perfect way though. I need to make myself a chart too. Good idea.
We tried the chore chart, it worked better when the kids were younger. We tried giving them the same chore for everyday, but they got tired of cleaning the same room over and over. So now I just pick a person and the chore, even if they did it yesterday. You don't get your chores done you get no friends or tv. No one likes to do the dishes, so in general Tim and I are the dish washers. The kids do the living room and the bathroom, dusting, vacuuming. They all have to do their own laundry and clean their rooms. Some kids are better cleaners than others. Some kids are just lazier than others. But I don't hear as much arguing about who does what chore.
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