Chores

Some families give allowance for chores completed… Things like dishes, laundry, trash, sweeping… I first want to say what works in your house is great…

This is my view on chores in general:

Our kids do not have chore list to be completed on a daily basis… They have to help out when asked and keep rooms cleaned, along with keeping clothes put away. On occasion they will help mow the small side yard. The reason allowance isn’t give whether it’s money or screen time is because these are things that have to get done and will always have to get done. They won’t get paid for these types of activities when they are older and I don’t think teaching them that doing this work deserves extra things… We as adults don’t get money for completing day to day functions that help our homes run. When you are a part of a family unit that unit should work together in getting things completed that help the house run smooth for everyone.

As a parent we provide financially for our kids on a daily basis… We pay so they can play, we pay so they can have an education, we pay so they can have clothes and extras… I can’t justify paying them for work that I can do around the house for free… Therefor that work around the house should just be completed because it should be completed.

If they want to earn money they can take on little jobs like babysitting. This is something that deserves pay. They can have a lemonade stand, they can offer to mow a neighbors yard ect.

As far as screen time that is earned in our house by:

Mon- 30
Tue- 30
Wed- 30
Thu- 30
Fri- 30
Sat- 60
Sun- 60

This is time just given each day. If they want time above and beyond that they must be active. If they go for a 20 minute run they will earn 20 minutes. Other activities like: bike riding, basketball, football, baseball, dodge ball, ect… These activities time are cut in half… If they bike ride for 20 minutes they get to add 10 minutes.
During school when grades come out they can add 20-A, 10-B, 5-C and D equals loss of all time until that grade is up. At that point they start over.

Right or wrong I don’t know, but it’s what works in our house. Screen time consists of social media and gaming. We don’t want these things to consume our lives. We also have a charging station in our kitchen that we all use. No cell phone usage in the bedrooms or bathrooms. They are only used in open living spaces.

We just have to teach our kids to have responsibilities. We are all doing the best we can with what we have been given. Every day I try and be better than the day before… This doesn’t mean that I accomplish that goal, but I am trying. Parenting is so hard and there are so many views on what is right and wrong… I think we just have to take the stuff that we think will work for us and get rid of the rest… We also have to understand that we are all doing it a little bit different. As long as we are showing up that’s half the battle.