untateve Posted February 12, 2010 Share Posted February 12, 2010 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12...s-grounded.html Lazy modern children should do more chores to keep them grounded By Laura Clark Last updated at 9:23 AM on 16th November 2009 Parents today are reluctant to set their children household chores They were the making of your grandmother - and they didn't do those young girls in Little House on the Prairie any harm either. So it won't be much of a surprise that opinion is swinging back in favour of dishing out household chores. According to research, today's cossetted children need be given daily tasks to encourage them to be responsible. Parents nowadays are reluctant to set youngsters too many jobs and instead give them only trivial duties such as tidying up toys. But chores are important for teaching children to organise themselves and show regard for others, the study suggested. Researchers examined articles in parenting magazines published between 1920 and 2006. They found that until the 1980s, readers and publishers agreed that chores helped children develop empathy and a positive regard for others. They also found it a good way of preventing boredom and disobedience. Between the 1930s and 1970s, children had a long list of responsible jobs, including preparing meals, nursing sick relatives and keeping household accounts. 'One mother's letter describes how she taught her four-year-old to lay kindling and strike a match to start a fire,' said Markella Rutherford-who led the study at Wellesley College in Massachusetts. 'Until very recently, greater autonomy and responsibility were emphasised as antidotes to teenage listlessness and rebellion.' Nowadays children tend to be given less arduous tasks; their key duty is schoolwork. If they are given tougher jobs, they are almost always linked to 'bribes' such as extra pocket money or points towards toys or outings. Chores graphic 'In the 1980s, descriptions of children's household chores all but disappeared from parenting magazines,' Miss Rutherford said. Yet in the past, parents didn't feel the need to bribe children because they were confident that chores benefited them by making them feel more responsible. A British survey recently found children earn about £700million a year running errands for parents. Jeremy Todd, of helpline Parentline Plus, said responsibilities must be fair and age appropriate. 'Giving children their own must-do chores is great for self- discipline and building their confidence,' he said. As for me, my boys (ages 10, 13) are responsible for mowing the lawn and using the Josh Gordon whacker, sweeping and mopping the floors, doing the dishes, taking out the garbage, putting their clothes away, and keeping their rooms reasonably neat. I recently taught my 10-yr-old to wash his own clothes because I found out he threw some clean clothes in his hamper because he didn't feel like putting them away. Allowance? No allowance. I explained to them that when you are part of a family, everybody chips in and does their part. If we do extra work of if they come to work with me to help (e.g., scanning files, shredding), I pay them a bit extra. They weren't too keen on not getting an allowance. I told them that I'd pay them allowance but since they would be earning money, I'd be charging them rent/utilities/food as well as expect them to pay for their airfare when we visit their relatives in MA/CT. What do other huddlers do? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh 0ne Posted February 12, 2010 Share Posted February 12, 2010 I beat them, make them do all the chores, and make them pay me an allowance. They're 3 and 5, baby time is over, time to man up or get the hell out. On their Birthday's I let them hire Mexicans to do their chores for the day, but they pay with the money they make selling dope. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
untateve Posted February 12, 2010 Author Share Posted February 12, 2010 I beat them, make them do all the chores, and make them pay me an allowance. They're 3 and 5, baby time is over, time to man up or get the hell out. On their Birthday's I let them hire Mexicans to do their chores for the day, but they pay with the money they make selling dope. You have keen insight into the mind/psyche of the child. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeeR Posted February 12, 2010 Share Posted February 12, 2010 Lazy modern children should do more chores to keep them grounded In other shocking news, water is wet. I swear if I had a nickel for every alleged parent out there who should have been neutered at an early age, I could retire. As for me, my boys (ages 10, 13) are responsible for mowing the lawn and using the Josh Gordon whacker, sweeping and mopping the floors, doing the dishes, taking out the garbage, putting their clothes away, and keeping their rooms reasonably neat. I recently taught my 10-yr-old to wash his own clothes because I found out he threw some clean clothes in his hamper because he didn't feel like putting them away. Allowance? No allowance. I explained to them that when you are part of a family, everybody chips in and does their part. If we do extra work of if they come to work with me to help (e.g., scanning files, shredding), I pay them a bit extra. They weren't too keen on not getting an allowance. I told them that I'd pay them allowance but since they would be earning money, I'd be charging them rent/utilities/food as well as expect them to pay for their airfare when we visit their relatives in MA/CT. Dinosaur! Brute! Keep it up Nice to know a few of you are left, even if you are a dying breed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaP'N GRuNGe Posted February 12, 2010 Share Posted February 12, 2010 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12...s-grounded.html As for me, my boys (ages 10, 13) are responsible for mowing the lawn and using the Josh Gordon whacker, sweeping and mopping the floors, doing the dishes, taking out the garbage, putting their clothes away, and keeping their rooms reasonably neat. I recently taught my 10-yr-old to wash his own clothes because I found out he threw some clean clothes in his hamper because he didn't feel like putting them away. Allowance? No allowance. I explained to them that when you are part of a family, everybody chips in and does their part. If we do extra work of if they come to work with me to help (e.g., scanning files, shredding), I pay them a bit extra. They weren't too keen on not getting an allowance. I told them that I'd pay them allowance but since they would be earning money, I'd be charging them rent/utilities/food as well as expect them to pay for their airfare when we visit their relatives in MA/CT. What do other huddlers do? Watch your back... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmy Neutron Posted February 12, 2010 Share Posted February 12, 2010 Our kids have daily household responsibilities in addtion to keeping their rooms clean. We rotate the kids on these jobs weekly - kitchen, living room, main bath & family room and hall ways. The jobs entail keeping each of these spaces clean and orderly. I don't ask the kids to do much outside. My son mows some when I am unable to do it. Both of the older kids help with snow removal. We do pay allowances, but not as a reward for doing the jobs so much as teaching them to deal with money. We also use extra household jobs as part of discipline. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missoula Griz Posted February 13, 2010 Share Posted February 13, 2010 Yep, chores are good for them. Plus it gives me more time to fish and golf with them. In the Summer ,their list of chores is much greater. I do throw them some cash from time to time. Nothing is written in stone, but they might as well learn the importance of helping the family out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Square Posted February 13, 2010 Share Posted February 13, 2010 I beat them, make them do all the chores, and make them pay me an allowance. They're 3 and 5, baby time is over, time to man up or get the hell out. On their Birthday's I let them hire Mexicans to do their chores for the day, but they pay with the money they make selling dope. I told my daughter that she is 21 months old now. No more free ride. She has to chip in around here. She is half Mexican and I don't let her hire any of her La Rasa friends to come into my casa. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainHook Posted February 13, 2010 Share Posted February 13, 2010 (edited) Kids should have chores? No kidding. I don't understand some parents. Edited February 13, 2010 by CaptainHook Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeeR Posted February 13, 2010 Share Posted February 13, 2010 I told my daughter that she is 21 months old now. No more free ride. She has to chip in around here. She is half Mexican and I don't let her hire any of her La Rasa friends to come into my casa. I bet your yard looks great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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