The other day, a mother told me that she doesn’t have her children do household chores. Her philosophy is that children are only young once, and she does not want to burden their childhoods with having to cook and clean.
My children do perform chores. My three-year-old does what he can (putting his plate in the sink, helping his sister feed the pets, etc.). My daughter is responsible for feeding our pets twice each day, cleaning her own room, tidying up other areas of the house, and other chores that I sometimes ask of her. She is also learning how to cook.
My philosophy of chores is that I am teaching my children responsibility. As popular TV-psychiatrist, Dr. Phil, sometimes says, I am not raising children. I am raising adults. One day they will be solely responsible for their own cooking and cleaning, and it is my job to make sure they will be ready for that.
And as a single mother, I also need their help. As I have mentioned in a previous post, I am not “Super Mom”. None of us are (I don’t think). I need help, and who better to help me than the miniature members of my household (otherwise known as my children).
Of course, I keep chores age-appropriate. I do not have my 10-year old scrubbing the bathroom floor on her hands and knees. Nor is my three-year-old expected to clean his room alone (although he is expected to help me when I do it).
Sure, they sometimes argue with me, and my daughter is well known for saying things like “what did I do to deserve this” or “why don’t you care about me”, but in the end she will thank me. Or at the very least, she will hopefully become a responsible, independent adult.