I will admit that my children have had it pretty easy in the almost 4 years they have lived with me, but that is going to change. I find myself exhausted trying to be a good mom and a good housekeeper. I cannot fit in the house work normally until the little one is in bed. I decided last night that the kids are out of school and should be helping a lot more, so I developed a chore chart. Here are some tips in creating one:
**Specify a time of day: I suggest a chore with a certain time of the day to be done (e.g. after dinner). This minimizes the arguments starting with "I'll do it later".
** Fair does not mean equal: Children of different ages may have different responsibilities. Fair is giving each child a reasonable amount that she can handle.
**Consistent Chores: I recommend giving your child a certain chore that she can become proficient at. You can switch the chores up every so often, but I don't recommend switching them daily.
**Give away chores that you can give up some control on: Let's face it! There are some things I am very picky about. I like the dishwasher loaded a certain way, so most of the dishes will fit. This is a chore I kept for myself so I don't have to stand over my children and drive them crazy. Once again, this will minimize arguments.
**Praise! Praise! Praise!: Let your child know how much you appreciate his help. If you are relaxing or spending time with him, you may want to point out that it was possible because of his help.
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