Say NO to the Kid's Pinup Job Charts!

If you want to get the kids helping out at home, then you need to know how to best implement a kid's chore chart. It needs to work with a minimum amount of fuss, and here are some suggestions on how to best go about it. Firstly, don't just pin up a list of jobs for the kids to do. Turn this chart into a family chore chart so that it involves all able family members. It is only when the unruly brood can see just how much work the parent(s) do around the home that they get to see how little they are being asked to contribute! Leaving yourself off will most likely get such reactions as; "It's not fair! Look at all the jobs I have to do! Why do I have to do everything in this house?" Ok, so let's take a closer look at how the family chart is going to win hands down over the children's job list.

C'mon, how many of you will admit that you experience World War III in your home whenever Mum or Dad dares to asks the kids for a little help around the house. For many parents it's the same old battle every single time, so much so that often the grownups will stop asking just for the sake of a bit of peace and quiet. There is a solution! Introduce them to the new family jobs chart, and say no more about it. Everyone can see their jobs on paper and if they don't do them then they won't get ticked off the list. Failure to comply will result in no rewards for the week, usually in the form of pocket money.

let us reemphasize why why the chores chart can work so well. Squabbling with the kids often takes far more energy than doing the task yourself. Kids aren't stupid, they know this. If they can create chaos and mayhem to family harmony every time they're asked to do a simple errand, they know there will come a time when Mum and Dad will just forget asking. Stick up a kids chore chart on the kitchen notice board, or a family chore chart is perhaps better, then they can see what they have to do. More importantly, they can see what they haven't done. You can't hide or silence childrens chore charts.The reward is given out only when the jobs list shows it has been earned.

I know every generation thinks that things were better and more disciplined back in their day, but honestly, back chatting was rarely heard of. We kids had our jobs to do and do them we did or it was woe betide us! I didn't need to refer to a kids chore chart to know I had to iron my own shirts, wash the dishes twice a week, and mow the lawns every Saturday. Neither the kids nor the family chore chart was necessary, but then I suppose this is a sign of the times!

Grandparents might argue further that there was no need for any kind of family chore chart, or childrens chore charts in their day because the kids did as they were told and that was that. Then again, every generation likes to think that they had the upper hand over parenthood and the future generations will be no different. Even so, there does seem to be less respect from the kids these days, and whether that's a sign of the generation, or the more gentler approach to parenting, we won't know until the research is complete. Some might argues that kids who are made to do those little things that the detest the most, i.e. household chores, actually help us to grow into better people than those who were allowed to get away with blue murder!

A lot of parents were brought up with the notion that the only way to achieve harmony in the home is to install strict discipline. Such homes have fear in place of fun, and loathing in place of loving. It is the fine balance of love and control which makes most family homes function the best. Sure, there may be times when a little tough love is required, but that doesn't mean military style obedience, it just means being the parent in control over the kid who perhaps isn't. The kids chore chart works because it involves the family as a unit, and shows in black & white how everyone does something to make the home tick over.

Before writing this short article on the benefits of the kids chore chart, I spoke with a professional family counsellor who had been working closely over the years with those families that were having problems getting along. There was a special emphasis on turmoil caused by troubled kids with major behavioural issues. When implemented correctly, she said that the family chore chart is invaluable for bringing about a little harmony in the home.

It's understandable that many parents don't like the idea of some stranger telling them how to get a bit of order into their family life, but sometimes some parents (and especially the very young and single mums), have trouble coping and need a little guidance. The counsellor went on to explain that she tries to introduce 'routine' into the home where all members are participants to a greater of lesser extent. In such cases it's not the kids chore chart that's needed, she says, but the family chore chart. Childrens chore charts are all well and good with well-behaved kids, but they're not a very useful tool with disobedient youngsters.

So how best to work your chores chart is the question of many parents new to the concept. Well, the simple idea to rotate the jobs if your kids are older and more capable of job diversity. This way, there will be less complaining about who gets the best jobs because everyone will get to do them all. Obviously a kids chore chart won't include heavy lifting or operating dangerous machinery like lawnmowers and power tools, but common household chores such as washing the pots, table preparation at meal times, taking out rubbish, folding and putting away laundry, dusting and so on, should be on your weekly family chore chart list.

Of course, quite often it's the teen chore charts that are the hardest to adhere to simply because they are at an age where they just want to be hanging out with their mates, and every minute spent indoors is a minute lost outside with their peers. But even so, if the routines are adhered to, even the most troublesome teens will eventually fall into line and realise that it's easier to just go with the flow.

Her ideal of working with a chore chart is that everyone participates because they are a member of the family. For some children it may be a good idea to tie in allowance money or additional privileges for the completion on tasks to begin with, but then teach them the importance of completing the chore chart because the things need to be done and it is the responsible thing to do as a member of the family.

It's a good idea for Mums and Dads to offer some kind of a reward scheme for tasks completed on the chore chart. Most parents in the West have a lot of trouble getting kids of any age to help out around the home, but oddly enough this has never been an issue amongst Asian and African families. Part of my job is to get parents to acknowledge that by allowing their offspring's to shirk away from household chores does little to equip them with these simple but necessary life skills.

Another little trick is to show the children that the parents are also written onto the chart and they too are expected to complete their tasks. This simply avoids conflicts where kids feel hard done by and believe their parents are getting them to run around doing stuff so they don't have to.

Quite often, when the kids come home from school or play, they are amazed at just how many tasks mum has done during their absence. But one of the great things about involving the kids in the household jobs is that many great conversations can be had with a child while completing tasks together.

Recap: The 2 Various Types of Chore Chart

We've highlighted a few of the various types of chore chart in this piece, so we'll recap the 2 most popular here for your reference. There's the pre-made chore chart which usually has areas for writing on, or uses chore magnets which is favoured by many. And there's the customisable chore chart that you and the kids can have fun making together. These are totally adaptable and are limited only by your imagination. Putting them together online can be good fun, especially when you and the kids print out your work and put it to use. The customisable type is good because the kids feel they've had a say, and a little participation and appreciation goes a long with youngsters.

She can't even Boil an Egg!

The above headline might seem a little humorous but sadly it's becoming increasingly more common that the young women who have never been asked to do anything around the home as they grew up are becoming the brides that don't even know how to boil an egg. Oddly enough, it is the young grooms in modern society that are more domesticated than their young brides when they first move into their new home.

Today's society sees more men in the kitchen and whipping through the house with a vacuum cleaner than at any time ever. People, who learn how to look after themselves before fleeing the nest are generally more independent and respectful individuals than those who don’t. So if any of you Mum's and Dad's out there who think you're doing your daughters a favour by not asking them to help out around the home while they’re living under your care, then think again! They're becoming a laughing stock!

Women's Work: Despite the so called equality these days there are still roles within a relationship where men traditionally do certain jobs around the home and women do others. Who does what is between the couple and if they're happy nothing else matters. Having said that, it's always useful for both parties to know how to do the different domestic chores for those times where one or the other is unable to. If Mum gets sick, or goes away for whatever reason, and dad can't even iron a shirt or prepare a breakfast, then there's not a lot of harmony in the home. Kid's chore charts better equip the kids for adulthood when the job types are swapped. This way they youngsters grow up to be responsible and able once they flee the nest.

Education starts in the Home: We've said it before in this piece and we'll say it again because it’s that important. Kids perform better with positive reinforcement, i.e. some kind of reward, and not negative, i.e. some form of punishment. If your brood are going to get pocket money and treats anyway, once they feel they have earned them it makes those things more valuable to them. If, in the past, all they had to do was ask and they received, it might take a while to break this attitude, but once it is broken, perhaps with the help of a chore chart, they will become better people because of it and will thank you guys later on when they're older and understand more about life.

Summary: It's Not the Kids Fault! A lot of people in modern society criticize the kids of today as being disrespectful, unruly, lazy, and unmotivated. Guess what? It's not their fault! Parents of today are often heard saying they want to give their kids all the things they never had in their life. This often means spoiling them and letting them get away with all sorts. But we now know, that this overwhelming love and protection does little to help them develop and grow properly, and also hinder their socialisation skills.

So the answer is a little more tough love and discipline, and being able to say NO sometimes, even when you are in a position to say YES. And finally, it helps a child's growth by getting them to help out around the home (jobs applicable to their age of course), and teaches them how to become significance, teaches them about team work, and most importantly, gets them involved in the family unit. Letting little Johnny site in front of the TV of computer why Mum and Dad are running around after him is the wrong way to go. A kids chore chart is a great way to introduce a bit of accord into any family residence. Teaching and learning begins at home, meaning it is the foundation from which all other growth and education is built.

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