I used to have an amazing chore chart that I created my own self at home out of craft supplies and I found using a chore chart is a fantastic way to show the kids that they are completely their responsibilities and in turn get some form of reward, even if it’s simply your praise vocally! This in turn creates happier kids who then appreciate the life they have due to their parents hard work all that much more!
I recently read an article about The Demise of Guys? Over my Dead Body and upon completing this little article, I was left compelled to write something about it. Being a Mom of two boys, I fight hard to try to teach them within the best ways I can being that I am a woman and all, to be a real man. My four year old son will go out and shovel the deck after a snowfall. My six year old son knows that there are some things around the house he needs to do because he is simply “the man of the house with his brother”. That is how it is.
I am not saying that I am placing all these adult responsibilities onto my sons, but in a world where the statistics say that the average young person spends 10,000 hours gaming by the age of 21, I have to say, is my daughter going to find herself in a situation that is not so much the norm now? Meaning, rarely is it I see friends of mine dating a guy who is addicted to video games as badly as I see it in these tween/teen years. Does that mean in the world where my children live as adults that my daughter will end up being both the woman and the man of the household? I surely hope not.
That is where setting chores and expectations at home comes into play. I am all for having video game time, I am all for having that thing that your child just loves dearly available to them, but at what cost? In m personal opinion the best way to teach boys to be man and girls to be woman is to give them a bit of responsibility! Set in place chores that work based on their age, teach them that when they give into the household, even something as tiny of a task as picking up after their own self, then in turn they get the benefit of their favorite electronic or game, what have you.
That is how us adults have to work, we do not get to play until after all of our work and household chores are done. Children at the ripe age of 2 can start helping in chores around the house in some shape or form, it’s time that parents start being parents and not allow these 10,000 hours of video gaming time to happen! Get up, stand up and set some chore charts up so that your kids have a visual of what is expected of them each day before they can sit down and play.
Have you used a chore chart? Did it help teach your kids to be more responsibility?
