What chores do your children do?

[cats7494]

Spin off from another thread here..
What chores do you have your children do daily or weekly? What ages are they?
We have a 14 year old and a 2 year old. Even the 2 year old has "chores".
What do you do in your family??
Just wanting to know if I am too strict or too slack with my kids!

 

[sdarwkcabemanmy]

DS has to help me make his bed and he has to pick up his toys before he goes to bed at night.

 

[aprilgail2]

My 8 year old has to keep her room clean, put her dishes in the sink when she is done with them and enjoy being a child! She will have many many years to do chores when she is grown up, no need to rush her into it now. If I am folding clothes she will come and help out or if I am washing the floor and she is home she will help but because she wants to, not because it is her assigned work. I would never make her clean the bathroom- heck I don't even like doing that and I am an adult LOL.

 

[chrisw127]

Our six-year old cleans up his toys and helps us pick up his twin brother's and sister's toys (they're only 20 months, so they don't have any yet). He also has to cleant he toilets, which he enjoys. Don't worry, we only use environmentally friendly cleaners that are non-toxic. He also uses the Swiffer to sweep up a bit.

 

[WDWMom]

Our kids are 12, 13 and 17. They have always had to help with the cleaning the table and keeping their rooms clean. Plus they are responsible for their own belongs they dump around the house. And feed the dog, scoop poop.

Now that they are older, they clean their bathroom (Heck, I don't use it, I shouldn't have to clean it). The sweep and vaccum. They are also good for manual labor as they are all athletic

ETA: DD also had to babysit her brothers for free. We never paid her. Told her that was part of being a family member.

 

[okeydokey]

My 8 and 10 year old clean their rooms and put their stuff away. My 8 year old takes the recycling to the bins and sorts, clears the table and loads the dishwasher. My 10 year old unloads the dishwasher, feed the cats and takes care of the litter box. They both chip in for extra stuff too like raking the yard.

 

[*pixie*dust*]

My son is 3. He has to pick up his trains before going to bed. (How did we get so many little trains in one house??)
He also has to brush his teeth.
He picks up his trains easier than he brushes his teeth-- go figure!

 

[Michelle67]

My nine year old scoops and changes the cat box, puts away clean dishes, sets the dinner table, and sometimes helps clear. My five year old sometimes helps his sister put away the dishes (he brings them from the dishwasher while she stands on the chair putting them away), but mostly his chores are helping as asked, putting specific things away while we are cleaning up, etc. He sometimes feeds the animals, but we all kinda do that. Both kids carry their dishes to the kitchen when finished eating, and both put their clean clothes away (I usually help my son so the clothes stay folded). Both like to vacuum, but it isn't a regular chore for them. Just something they will both volunteer to do. Both kids also carry out recycling sometimes.

 

[MomofKatie]

My 10 year old DD clears the table after dinner and puts the dishes in the dishwasher. She is responsible for cleaning her room, putting her clean clothes away in the right drawers, and keeping the cats' bowls full of dry food and clean water.

 

[puffkin]

My 2 1/2 year old has to clean up all his toys before nap, bedtime, or leaving the house. We do help him, but he has been required to do it since about 18 months or so. Drives me crazy when people think he is too little to know where the toys go.....trust me, he knows better than we do! He is also been cleaning up at daycare since about 18 months.

He also puts his cups in the sink (I will put in the dishwasher then), and knows to put his jacket on the table and not just throw it on the floor (I hang it up then). I know they are just little things, but we are trying to start getting him in good habits early.

 

[Disney Ella]

I have two 13 year old girls. They clean their rooms, vacuum other rooms when asked, help paint, put away laundry, clean things and each has a night for washing dishes.

 

[mickeyfan9194]

My DS 17 has to keep his room clean, feed the dog in the afternoon, clean up dog poop, empty the dishwasher and take out the trash.

DS13 has to keep his room clean, vacuum the entire house on Saturdays, and feed the dog in the evening.

Thay both have to do their own laundry (and have since they were tall enough to reach the controls), and put it away. They take turnes cleaning their bathroom.

I work full time. If someone makes a mess, they better clean up after themselves. I'm their mother, not their maid!

 

[sdarwkcabemanmy]

(How did we get so many little trains in one house??)

I say the same thing about DS's toy cars. Part of picking up his toys at night includes picking up all his cars and putting as many as will fit into the mack truck storage case we bought for him.

 

[Camicar]

Dd's chores change over time* but generally include:
-daily drying the dishes
-cleaning her room (which amounts to once a month. She's not too messy and I'm not too picky)
-doing the surface cleaning in our house once a week, eg Swiffering hard floors, cleaning bathroom vanities, and dusting wooden surfaces.
-she gets laundry duty about once a month

*Over time, I've varied her chores and will continue to do so until she knows how to do everything necessary to keep a home/apartment clean and running and more importantly that she understands that living spaces need regular and ongoing upkeep and cleaning. My MIL was a total control freak who taught her kids nothing and they never actually saw her cleaning so they had NO idea what needed to be done, let alone how to do it. I ended up having to teach my dh everything and even today at age 50, it never occurs to him that things need to be cleaned. I have to remind him every time. It's incredibly irritating (and his bachelor apartment was so disgusting I wouldn't even use the toilet there until after I'd taught him to notice the filth and clean it!) and we didn't want our dd to end up like that.

One prime reason we do not have a dog is bec I didn't want to end up with a hassle about cleaning up after it.

 

[mamacatnv]

DD is 10:

Scoop cat box - daily
Wipe down her bathroom including toilet and empty the trash - weekly
Unload dishwasher - as needed
Clean off table after dinner - nightly
Pick up her room - Whenever I get tired of looking at it
Feed and water cats and her pet rats - daily
Transfer laundry from washer to dryer - occassionally

Pick up her crap - daily, hourly or sometimes even every couple of minutes!

 

[aprilgail2]

Dd's chores change over time* but generally include:
-daily drying the dishes
.

wow- I haven't dried dishes since I was a little kid- they either dry rightin the dishwasher on the "drying" cycle or they air dry in the dish rack- works every time LOL

 

[GothTink]

Here are my kids chores.

DS14:
1. Clean room (once a week).
2. Clean both bathrooms (once a week).
3. Empty dishwasher (nightly).
4. Take garbage out (nightly).

DD8:
1. Clean room (twice a week - she's messy!).
2. Sort laundry.
3. Fill and run dishwasher (nightly).

 

[eeyoremum]

Here is how it breaks down at my house:

DS(14)

keep his room clean
make his bed every morning
clean his breakfast mess
make his own lunch
vacuum
feed the dog
care for his lizards
wash evening dishes and put left overs away
tue/thurs cook dinner for the family (we need to be out of the house 15mins after I walk in the door for kids events)
empty dishes from dishwasher
anything else he is told to do

DS(9)

keep his room clean / toys need to be cleaned up from toyroom
make his bed every morning
clean his breakfast mess
make his own lunch
dust
feed the cat
care for his lizards/fish
fill dishwasher clear the table from dinner
empty cutlery from dishwasher
anything else he is told to do

I generally do all the icky stuff like the kitty litter, lizard "waste", bathrooms. I also do the laundry.....nobody touches my laundry machines!!!

 

[5Slays]

My DS (9) and DD (8) have laundry duty every week. This includes gathering, sorting and putting away (their's only) clothes. They also have to feed and water the dogs and take out the trash. They are expected to keep their rooms clean.

DS (3) has to pick up his toys and put his dishes in the sink.

 

[cats7494]

I am heartened to see that chores are given to young ones too! I have received some rude comments from folks about having our 2 1/2 year old do chores.

DD2's chores
She puts away toys and books - with our help before bed.
Puts her dishes in the sink.
Puts her jacket on the chair (Dh or I will then hang it up)
Put her shoes away

DD14's chores
Does her own laundry
Kitty litter - shared responsiblity with me
Dishes - we each take a night (DD, DH, and me)
Clean room - not everyday - usually it is weekly..then it is trashed the next day! lol
Vacuums living room and her bedroom as needed
Watches dd2 - once in a while

Honestly sometimes it is just hard to find the time! I work full time and so does DH, dd14 is in sports and as you all understand - we are not home too often!