Do your teens and pre-teens do chores?

[Buckeye Princess]

I grew up not having any chores. I wish that I had. I left for college not knowing how to do laundry, cook, clean, anything. Through college I learned some, but I lived in a sorority house where I only had to keep my room clean, no cooking. It wasn't until I was 22 and in my first apartment that I finally learned how to cook. My husband bought me Martha Stewart's Homekeep Handbook at my request because there were so many household things I just did not know how to do. In addition to lacking these skills it took me a long time to really develop the discipline that I had in academics to my household life.

My DD 20 months already has the "chore" of cleaning up her toys. She knows that she can have one toy out at a time and puts away her toy before bringing another out to play. She also helps me get groceries out of the bag, sort laundry, etc. She finds it fun but she's also learning while we do it and spend time together.

 

[We_Love_Disney]

Since my daughter was a toddler she was doing chores. I had read a really neat idea years ago and implemented it. At each birthday she gets one new responsibility and one new privilege. It has worked out wonderfully. She has a say in both the responsibility and the privilege. Typically they are along the same lines. On one birthday she chose a later bedtime(obviously mutually agreed upon time), for her responsibility it was for her to get herself up and be ready on time in the morning. (I think I added a no grumpy clause to it too )

 

[Kitzka]

DD12 does do chores and has since she was 5. here chore list includes:

keeping her room clean
keeping the playroom/rec room clean
sorting her laundry on laundry day
putting away her clean laundry
take the recycling out
put out the recycling can and take empty can in (once a month. DH may do it when it is dark or it's snowy or rainy)
She will also bring in the milk and dairy when the milkman comes


this still allows her plenty of time for HW, dance, seeing her friends, etc.
Lara
lara

 

[Momvic5]

No, mine don't have chores. They are expected to keep up with their school work, keep a clean room, put away their laundry, and to pick up after themselves. I do not think of those things as chores but as personal responsibilities. Their school work and maintaining their personal responsibilities are what I require on a daily basis, but when I ask them to do something such as take out the trash, they are expected to do it. I would certainly begin dishing out chores if they didn't because helping and respecting one another are expected as well. Secretly, I am hoping and praying that I raise house full of neat freaks.

 

[RockAndRollBallerina]

Theres no reason why a child who is teen or pre-teen shouldn't be contributing to housework. When I was 10 I did the dishes, vacuumed, swept floors, folded laundry (was taught how to actually do the laundry at 14), shoveled the driveway in the winter, raked leaves, cleaned the bathrooms, and washed windows. All of this was just simply expected out my younger sister and I. There never were chore charts, we were simply expected to do our chores and contribute to house work before we could have friends over/go to friends, have free time. Even during the school year it was expected out of us, in which case it was homework done, and housework done before we had the rest of the night to relax.

 

[Kat77]

Lisa doesn't work, so she does all the chores."

This is exactly why my children have chores. Momma ain't your maid! Heaven help the foolish child who ever has the nerve to imply such.

Seriously, no chore is all that difficult so what my kids are really learning is to function in life. I am 100% certain that any given five minutes spent loading the dishwasher, sorting laundry, or wiping down the sink has not interfered with their chance to be prom queen or rank in the top 1% of their class. Ofcourse, that may just mean my kids are stupid and ugly....

 

[Buckalew11]

Yes. My 16yo has quite a few daily chores, some weekly chores and is very helpful around the house. A big help around here, for sure.

She is also expected to "work" around the house. This is a bit different than doing chores. If there is a project, join in. She helped her dad dig post holes for a fence, pour concrete, she can take care of a car--knowing how to do general maintenance etc. She can use power tools and basically anything aroud the house you can throw at her. Some guy will be lucky to have her for a wife someday, lol.

She attends a college alumni program for a week each summer that does general maintenance around the campus and this year she worked with a group of men. They were all about 55 and up and quite impressed by her skills and enjoying teaching her how to use a table saw. She had a great time working all week and put in a full day's work each day for the entire week.
A hard day or work seems to be a thing of the past with kids these days...I think she'll look back on *learning to work* and be glad she did the things she did.

 

[Big Cuddly Bear]

Not many because school is their job. .....

That is what he said... and hey, his kids... he can do what he wants, but my kids do well in school, and have band, chorus, Tae Kwan Do, and soccer, and still do some chores.

Beside cleaning their rooms, they

1. Set and clear the table

2. Empty the dishwasher

3. Swiffer

4. Take out the recycleables

5. Bring trash cans to the house if I haven't already done it.

6. Brush the dogs once a week - once by each kid.

and chip in with whatever else we ask. I guess they spend 2 hours each on chores.

 

[luvsJack]

The only chores dd does Monday-Thursday are feeding the dogs and just keeping her bathroom neat and the living room "picked up".

On Saturday, she and I work together to get everything done. Usually she cleans her bathroom, washes, dries and puts away her clothes, sweeps the hallway and whatever other area I ask her to and sometimes folds a load or two of towels.

But it can change, this weekend dgd is going to be with us so dd will watch her on Saturday morning so that I can get everything done.

 

[punkin]

My kids really have no assigned chores. They just do whatever needs doing at the time or whatever I tell them needs doing. It seems to work for us.

 

[Holly]

All of my kids have chores.

Yes, school is their "job", but when they grow up they are going to need to work as well as be capable of keeping a house (because I'm sure as heck not going to do it for them).

 

[Momvic5]

This is exactly why my children have chores. Momma ain't your maid! Heaven help the foolish child who ever has the nerve to imply such.

That is my motto!! "Momma ain't your maid!" My dd11 always asks me why she doesn't get paid for her chores like her friends.....First, I tell her picking up for and after yourself is not considered a chore - it is a responsibility, and secondly, why should I pay you for personal responsibilities-they are not an option. She is never happy with my reply. However, if she or her brothers want cash, I am always willing to find something extra for them to do such as pulling weeds in the flower gardens ( hate that job).

 

[Magic Mom]

Yes, mine does chores, and keeps an A average (so proud of that, because she's worked hard for it), and runs XC, and spends a lot of time at the riding stables. She's 11.

 

[Hannathy]

See I don't buy the if they don't do it as kids they won't be able to do it. That's just foolish. anybody with half a brain or who can read can do laundry it really isn't rocket science. The 20 somethings who can't really can't it is don't want to. Same with cooking if you can read you can cook. It isn't that hard to follow instructions.

 

[shortbun]

See I don't buy the if they don't do it as kids they won't be able to do it. That's just foolish. anybody with half a brain or who can read can do laundry it really isn't rocket science. The 20 somethings who can't really can't it is don't want to. Same with cooking if you can read you can cook. It isn't that hard to follow instructions.

The world is full of people who I could use to prove you wrong. Just read the thread about the man asking if his wife should be mad at him for ruining her clothes in the laundry. That man had great grades but no one gave him life skills. Now his wife is suffering.

 

[Momvic5]

See I don't buy the if they don't do it as kids they won't be able to do it. That's just foolish. anybody with half a brain or who can read can do laundry it really isn't rocket science. The 20 somethings who can't really can't it is don't want to. Same with cooking if you can read you can cook. It isn't that hard to follow instructions.

I don't either...I think it is more of a personality thing. Anyone can do a household task if they really want to. It is the desire to do the task that usually determines if the task gets done or not.

 

[WDWorBUST]

To be such a close family who really gets along we have a very "dysfunctional household". I NEED to give DD chores, but then I also need to assign DH and I some too. Around our house I seem to be the only one who sees what needs to be done, and I get so fed up with it that I am extremely messy too because hey - I'm the one who is going to clean up the mess in the end anyway!!

 

[Hannathy]

The world is full of people who I could use to prove you wrong. Just read the thread about the man asking if his wife should be mad at him for ruining her clothes in the laundry. That man had great grades but no one gave him life skills. Now his wife is suffering.

No his wife is suffering because he CHOSE to not read how to do laundry and follow instructions. He chose the lazy way out because had he looked up how to do laundry and followed instructions it would have told him to read each garments care label and follow the instructions.


He was lazy and indifferent not unable. BIG difference.

 

[PollyannaMom]

DS has to pick up after himself & take care of his pets, and I usually add some daily or weekly chore just for the summer. I don't make anything else "his responsibility" during school, but do expect him to help with general chores when I ask. I try to pick different things, so he learns how to do them (lately, I've started on laundry).

 

[::Snow_White::]

I do not have chores. I keep my room tidy and do my own laundry and clean our bathroom, but that is it. I've washed dishes at school, I've dusted our living room, I wipe down my walls and heavy duty clean my room when I want. Not having chores has not had a negative impact. I set my own schedule for cleaning, I'm a neat person and it would drive me crazy if something was dirty.

That being said, if I see something that needs cleaned, like the windows, I'll do it. If they ask me to do something I would, but my parents do not give me chores I have to do.