Adventures in Parenting

Do you have assigned chores for your children?

How do you decide which chores they are to do? Based on age and the difficulty of the task they can handle? I have another suggestion on how to decide on chores for your children to do.

Today, our task on Day 18 of our 30 Days to Better Parenting Challenge is to evaluate how we assign chores.

While there are some jobs that nobody wants to do, but somebody has to do it, such as cleaning the toilet, some chores should be assigned based on the child’s skills.

My son is a good student, so one of his chore is to help his sister with her homework. My daughter has a knack for designing, so one of her chores is to make a card on the computer for me whenever I need one. When we pack for a trip, my chore includes packing my son’s clothes for him because his chore is to pack all the digital equipment, such as all the cables and batteries needed for the camera, laptop, cellphones, etc. That’s what he does best, and I would rather pack his clothes for him.

Assigning chores based on the child’s talents allows each member to use his unique skills for the good of the family. It affirms their individuality and their abilities.

So today, take a look at what chores you have assigned to your children. If you have not assigned at least one that using their talents, remove one of the other chores and replace it with an appropriate one. I am sure your child will appreciate it if you eliminate cleaning the toilet from his list!