Chores!

Now we are at home more during the day, I've been excited about some of the changes we've been able to implement, seeing as we have MUCH more time on our hands. Most recently it's been the perfect opportunity to up the children's household chores. I know it sounds cruel, but actually they love it and it's good for them. This article changed the way I thought about chores:

http://www.parenthood.com/article-topics/the_value_of_chores_for_children.html

Here is an excerpt:

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Rossmann (University of Minnesota) analyzed the outcomes for 84 young adults based on their parents' style of interacting, their participation in family tasks at three periods of their lives and brief phone interviews when they were in their mid-20s. She examined variables - including parenting styles, gender, types of household tasks, time spent on tasks, and attitudes and motivators associated with doing the tasks - to determine their impact on the children. She then measured each individual's "successes."

"I looked at the outcomes when they were in their mid-20s, focusing on what they were doing in regards to completing their education or being on a path to complete their education, getting started on some type of career path, their relationships with family and friends, and whether or not they were using drugs," Rossmann explains. She also considered IQs when doing her analysis.

After reviewing these issues and studying all of the possibilities that could influence the outcomes, she found that the best predictor for young adults' success in their mid-20s is that they participated in household tasks at age 3 or 4.

"Through participating in household tasks, parents are teaching children responsibility, how to contribute to family life, a sense of empathy and how to take care of themselves," Rossmann says.

"The key is to start early," she adds. "If you don't, it backfires. The study showed that when a parent started their children in tasks at ages 9 to 10, or worse, 15 to 16, the children thought that the parent was asking them to do something they didn't want to do. They didn't get the concept of 'we're all in this together.' They were far too self-centered."

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I have known about this study for a long time, and I have always tried to give them things to do around the house, but I realized recently that I was just asking them to do me a "favour" here and there. Could you please help me with this? Or, could you please pick that up? I realized that maybe I had been doing it all wrong, because they didn't have any chores that were their sole responsibility to complete on a regular basis.

So, this week Hafsa is the Queen of the Kitchen, she empties the cutlery and least breakable things from the dishwasher every morning. She helps me at dinnertime and setting the table, and helps things along in the kitchen as needed. Maymuna is the Princess of the House, she makes the beds before we come downstairs, tidies the shoes at the entryway and helps things along in the house as needed. I think she is probably even old enough to vacuum? :-) Next week they'll switch. FYI, I decided not to "pay" for these chores in rewards, allowance or any other incentive - helping out around the house is the responsibility of everyone living here.

So far they are doing pretty well, though there is still a lot of reminding going on... as to be expected. But I actually think that they feel the confidence of being able to do things around the house.

There you go, I just wanted to share this great article that gave me a big incentive to get my kids to help me around the house!!!!