How much help around the house do you expect from your kids?

My kids are in PS - only 1 is homeschooled right now (2 next year).... the one who is hs'd does extra work though....but he chooses to do it, he likes mowing the lawn on the tractor

We also make our kids play every night when available....

 

My 13 yr old (dd) and 10 yr old (ds) have 4 chores each at home, and 4 chores each at work. They rotate each week. They have things that sometimes keeps them from being home, like dance class, piano, etc... but if they have more stars than blanks on the sheet at the end of the week, then they get their $10 allowance. (5 for home, 5 for work) The chores are divided up, but they are:
Kitchen
All Bathrooms (3)
Living Room
Feed animals and take out (all day)
Their Bedrooms
Playroom
Clothes

and at work:

Filing papers
Sweep office and school room
Sweep Warehouse
Kitchenette
Bathrooms
Take Out Garbage
dust counters
put away samples
windows

We do have a housekeeper that comes in every two weeks and deep cleans. Our kids only have to make the room clean and presentable, so its not hard labor. All their chores can be done in thirty minutes total.

 

My boys are 5 and 8-they've had chores since they could walk (pick up your toys)

Our rule of thumb here is they have to pick up after themselves and help with common areas.

They are responsible for their room, the playroom, the classroom and their bathroom.

They clean up after themselves in the common areas (living/dining room, kitchen) And do some work that benefits everyone (dusting, wiping things down, unload dishwasher, etc) They also help cook.

They like to help put away laundry so they usually do that as I fold it, though when the day comes that they no longer want to put up mine and hubby's laundry that is fine, but they can still put up their own.

They usually feed/water the dog and the 8 year old walks him most of the time now.

I find my boys don't have the attention to detail to wash dishes but sometimes the 5 year old will help by rinsing them.

They unload the groceries on grocery day and put up any can goods. They switch out laundry. They mop sometimes. They have to clean out the back of the van. They help with yard work and caring for the chickens shovel chicken litter, etc.

I do not let them use the vacuum cleaner LOL Again it's that lack fo attention to detail and the fact that I have an expensive vacuum.

 

As much as I require....

Seriously, my daughter is now 11yo. At 12yo, I had a job with a real paycheck and a checking account--no kidding. My mother was quite ill often so I learned to do everything as to housework before that.

I am reading this book called Tough Guys and Drama Queens: How Not to Get Blindsided by Your Child's Teen Years and in the first part the author writes about the first five years we work at pleasing our children, the next stage is more about protecting, tweens and young teens is about providing, and older teens about preparing. He states many parents do not progress and stay in over-pleasing, over-protecting, over-providing modes, which does not prepare their children for adulthood. It also enables that entitlement attitude we see so much today.

When this kind of thing happens, I just think about those ill-prepared teens and adults thrown into adulthood and making so many bad mistakes. I would rather that not be my child so she has chores and she is expected to help in anyway I ask with a good attitude because I do not ask her to do things beyond her ability nor do I have her scrubbing floors all day long...unless she complains about the little things I ask her to do, which is pretty rare. No entitlements here.

 

Forgive me for not reading all the responses.

I will just tell you how we do things in our family.

Basically we don't believe in giving allowances. We feel like we are each members of this family and each of us should help out. My kids eat on the dishes so why should I pay them to clean them? Nobody pays me to do it.

My girls are 9 and 16. The 16 yr old is in ps and has a job as a waitress at a cute 50s diner. The 9 yr old is with me all the time. They share a room and are expected to keep their side of the room clean, beds made, as well as keeping their living area clean. (They have a huge room with a bedroom side and a living room side) They each have a puppy and are in charge of feeding, bathing, taking potty, etc. Together they clean their bathroom. If I ask them to do the dishes which is usually a few times per week they usually do it together. They are required to clean up their own dinner dishes and sometimes they will make us breakfast or bake cakes or cookies (we don't ask sometimes they just like to cook). I will often ask one or the other to sweep or vacuum. They also take out trash which requires walking across the pasture to the burn barrel. The 16 yr old washes and cleans her own car and the 9 yr old helps with the chickens and garden because she likes to. I do everyones laundry but they put their own clean clothes away.

Bottom line is I am not their maid. We are a family and we all help out. I think it teaches them that things are not going to just be handed to them. It teaches responsibility. Even though we don't give allowances I do take them out for ice cream or snow cones once a week or maybe out to lunch. If my 16 yr old wants to go to the movies and hasn't given me any trouble all week about doing her jobs (I hate to call them chores) then she can go.

 

I think I'd like that book! Thanks for mentioning it.

 

I used to feel the very same way. In addition, I used to think that children who got allowances were spoiled, but I have changed my mind on that. I feel that a low amount as a regular allowance is a very good educational method for children to learn about finances. I am in the camp that allowance is not associated with chores, but I am paid for the chores my daughter should have done if I do them. I just wrote about this issue on my blog actually.

 

I will be writing a review on it probably within a week.

 

My oldest has a job waitressing now and boy oh boy has it been an eye opener for her regarding finances. She is the type to spend, spend, spend. She gets money for her birthday or Christmas and I swear it is burning a hole in her pocket. She just can't wait to spend it! She has been that way her whole life. My youngest is the total opposite. At 9 yrs old she will do price comparisons on things she wants to buy.

I will pay the girls for going above and beyond the normal day to day type things. For instance if they wash MY car then yes I will pay them. I'm just not going to pay them to wash the dishes they ate on, make the bed they sleep in, or to clean the bathroom that they and only they use.

 

It looks like I agree with most here. Once I started home schooling my kids got more chores. We're home more so they make WAY more messes. At 10 and 7 they do pretty good helping out.

Now just to figure out how to do it without mom nagging everyday!

 

My daughter is 7 and she helps with laundry. She is responsible for making sure the dog and rabbit have food and water and letting us know if she needs help with getting teh water since the water bottles for the rabbit can get stuck easily. She has to help water the tomatoes and the horses. During the winter she helps feed the horses hay as well. She is responsible for putting her toys away before bed, and if they aren't she has to do extra jobs to earn them back such as dusting, washing windows, sweeping, reading, etc. If she doesn't want what is fixed for dinner she has to fix or help fix something else. She has to help gather trash each Sunday to take outside. If she spills something she either has to clean it up or ask for help to clean it up. I also expect her to put cleana laundry away when it's done. Today I am going to be teaching her how to hang laundry outside and she will have to help put her laundry outside because she has decided she only wants certain things put in the dryer. Therefore she has to help with the job of putting it out to dry.

 

The other moms are just jealous. It is healthy for kids to learn family values and helping around the house. Even my 3 year old can fold and put away his laundry and my 7 year old can wash clothes, dry them and put away all by himself. There is no reason for them to play all day long, they get bored with that anyway.

 

My kids are 16 and 14. They both take turns with dishes (including setting and clearing table, rinsing/loading, wiping table/counters/stove off), sweeping/vacuuming floors, taking out trash, cleaning bathroom, dusting our family area, cleaning (vacuuming and windows, too) out the car, and they each get a litter box to change (we have two).
They are responsible for keeping their rooms straightened up, putting their own laundry away, stripping/remaking bed, and cleaning up any messes they make.

DD has a dog and she is responsible for the feeding, walking, and caring of him. (DH, DS, and I do step in when she sick or not home)

DS helps out with raking the yard and snow shoveling.

 

We just made new chore lists. I just up the level of work I expect.

My oldest is up to an average of 25-35 minutes per day. The youngest about 20. They are not assigned house work for Sunday.

 

I have been thinking recently that my DS is able to do more than he has been. Right now he folds towels/washrags and puts them away, puts away his laundry, empties bathroom trashcans, vacs the living room and his bedroom rugs. He can't reach the washing machine yet, and I prefer to load the dishwasher myself, but I think he may can clean the toilets and sweep the floors. And he's about to take over the cleaning of his Robo hamster's cage, as I think he can do it now without letting the little booger lose! LOL
My youngest DS helps fold washrags, and helps put his laundry away, though he can't reach his dresser drawers all the way yet. I may let him start bringing the bathroom trashcans to be emptied, too.
Time to revamp our chore chart....

 

I started the older child out with a bathroom dutie of just tidying up. Dry lavatory/vanity. Empty trash. Replenish TP, soap etc as needed. and to spot clean floor and toilet as needed. Change bath towel, and put folded wash clothes in place for guests. This was a twice a week job.

The kids use the main bathroom that a guest would use, and I figure they can take some responsibility for keeping us ready for visitors/company.

Now I am training the older one to clean the bathroom entirely, breaking it up into two parts on two days. Now the younger one gets to do the tidy up inspection twice a week.

My bathroom is getting attention 4 times a week. So it should not ever be out of order.

The 8 year old now vacuums the basement tile floor with a electric broom twice a week. (10 min job). The 12 year old has to vaccuum the couches and cloth chairs and an area rug, to remove her cats hair and any lint once a week. 25 min.

The little one like to spray stuff so she is being trained to polish furniture.

Mid year after they are competent in these jobs, I will change them out. At some point I will have them take on some of DH's housework for learning purposes.

I want my kids to be able to know how to keep house. THey will also be able to do basic car maintenance, like change a light bulb, wash the car, clean interior, clean windows, check tire pressure, oil level, air filter, windsheild wipers etc etc.

 

Mine are "expected" to wash their laundry and help clean the house and definately clean up their own messes! Mine don't always get it done like they are supposed to, but I think it's important they have these responsibilities..

 

My kids have always had chores, and each morning we do our chores before we start our school way. I want my kids to learn that the family works together to keep the house clean and nice. I think it helps when my kids see me doing chores along with them, they love teamwork!!!