Chores

Do your kids do chores?  

Our kids do chores.

I always wonder how other families manage this part of family life.

We've had our kids doing chores since they were very small.  

Well ... sometimes it's more accurate to say that they're assigned chores.  

Just because they're assigned doesn't necessarily mean the chores are actually done.

I've read the book that says "kids don't do what you expect, they do what you inspect."

(which book was that?)

I'm not consistent about checking their chores.  I am the weakest link.

But, for the most part, my kids do pretty well on their chores, 

in spite of me.

Years ago one of my friends copied the chore system we were using at the time and in a few weeks she said with exasperation, "it started out great, but she won't do them anymore!"  

I don't know how it works for you, but for us, 

changing things up every so often keeps things fresh.  

One of the things we've done to fill up the time on our long drive to the beach every year is 

a big chore lottery where everything is revamped and reassigned.

We get home from vacation all refreshed and renewed, 

and everyone is so excited for their new chores.

  

You believe me, right?

I'm pretty sure we've employed every method of doing chores possible.  

Chore charts, chore notebooks, 

regularly assigned, not regularly assigned, 

daily, weekly, on and on AND ON.

Here's what's working at our house right now:

Everyone has a set of daily chores.  These are the things that keep the household in a reasonably orderly state, and they're done every day after lunch.  There aren't that many daily chores, 

but I'm a chart person, so we have a chart, and everyone's chores are color coded :o)

Don't think that our eldest (his chores are in brown) gets off easy ... 

he's taken on the yardwork.  

All of it.  

And it's A LOT.  

We also have weekend chores.  These are more deep cleaning than just the day to day tasks, 

and I've divided them over the course of a month and (surprise!) created a chart.

  

On Saturday mornings, we have a meeting after a late breakfast 

(we are, after all, working with teenagers).

I write on the white board what needs to be done, and everyone gets to choose their torture chores, usually four or five for everyone.  If the kids have company, the friends get chores, too.  

If everyone gets busy and gets their chores done fast,

everyone is done and the house is clean in a little more than an hour.

That's how it's done here.  

For now, anyway.

Want to see how we changed things up after about a year of doing chores like this?
click }here{