Yes as an only child i dint have alot of chores, but as a mother of three my kids are still young (3...6..7.) they have chores like putting there clothes in the laundrey room, picking up there toys and keeping there room's clean even after we eat they take their plates to the sink...when they get older my daughter will help with laundrey and dishes and my boys will help mow the yard and things of the nature.

WvMommyof3 Mar. 28, 2009 at 11:23 AM

Yes... I agree... my kids are 2,5,6,7 and the 6 and 7 year old right now live with their father whom lives like a slob... I am sure that he is not teaching them anything at all.. But when they come home, they help me with the laundry.. switching it around (I have a REALLY hard time bending... and well they are just the right hight). They also help by putting the dishes away. (I don't quite let them wash them yet because nothing will turn my stomach faster than leaving food on the dishes AND THEN putting them away.) I also have them hold the dust pan when I am sweeping. My 7 year old also has to vacumme her own room. I put the baby powder on the floor (makes the room smell like a clean baby butt) and we make a game out of it. Thats also how I knew that she was old enough to handle vacumming when she got up all the baby powder. But I think that should be instilled in every child.

TripleHnLilG Mar. 28, 2009 at 11:59 AM

My son is 2, and while he's too young to do anything on his own, he does help with housework. He loves washing dishes (he has a washcloth, I have one, and I rewash the ones he does), laundry (mostly sorting it and I let him fold some and he also helps put it away), picking up, sweeping the floor (he LOVES this), clearing the table, he has a little toy vacuum that he uses after we use the big one, fold blankets, and pretty much anything else he sees me do. One day I was cleaning the bathroom and he was "spraying" the cabinet under the sink and wiping it. I only use natural cleaners like vinegar, so I'm not worried about him getting sick from chemicals.

He likes cleaning. I want to teach him that its just something we do and everyone pulls their own weight. I don't expect him to do it "right," and oftentimes I have to redo what he's done, so it takes longer. But the point is to get him in the habit of it. The right way to do it can come later.

lovepotato Mar. 28, 2009 at 12:23 PM

I think children should be allowed to be children. They have enough responsibility going to school and getting excellent grades. They shouldn't be forced to do the job a mother is supposed to do. Cleaning up after themselves when they are a little older. But doing dishes, laundry, vacuuming, never happen in my home. Not when I was growing up and not now.

Chrissy629 Mar. 28, 2009 at 12:36 PM

My son is two... he feeds the cats their dry food, helps me fold towels (he's getting pretty good at it!), and "sweeps" the floor (more like pushes around a pile of dirt and crumbs, but he enjoys it and even knows that you sweep the pile into a dustpan and dump it in the garbage! LOL). He picks up his clothes and puts them in the hamper when he changes from jammies in the morning or takes his clothes off for bath at night, and he knows that dirty dishes belong in the sink or on the counter next to it. He also likes to get the mail! I don't ever make him do these things, I either gently remind him or he does it without me even asking. After all, he's having fun doing it, and hopefully if he has fun doing it now it will just become part of his routine as he grows older!

trebelcleff Mar. 28, 2009 at 1:40 PM

My DS is 6 and my SD is 5.  Both of them pick up their rooms (toys, dirty clothes, etc), put their clean clothes away, and take their dishes to the sink.  When they get a little bit bigger (not older, just bigger cause the vacuum is bulky) they will be in charge of vacuuming their rooms as well.  They are "reminded" to rinse the sink after they brush their teeth, wipe up any splashes around their sink, and my son has even started putting the TP on the roll when it runs out (and I don't ask him to)!!!!!  We are transitioning to more natural cleaners (vinegar, baking soda, etc) so soon they will be in charge of actually cleaning certain things as well.

Aidans_Mom915 Mar. 28, 2009 at 2:39 PM

yes it important to show kids how you like your house to be and when they gwt older like mine that are 16 14 and ten they can do theire own laundery and mop and sweep basicaly they have to keep the house clean i will do my room clean my bathroom but the rest is up to them i will do some thing like mop but they do the rest

FIVEHAPPYHEARTS Mar. 28, 2009 at 3:23 PM

I had chores as a kid. I'd have to clean my room before I could play outside or have a friend over to play. I'd do dishes. By 8, I had learned to cook simple things like french toast, eggs, mac&cheese, hamburgers and meatloaf. Sometimes I'd cook. By 10, I had learned how to bake a cake from scratch. I had even learned how to mow the lawn. I'd rake the leaves. I learned to wash the car.

Right now, all my kids have to do is put their dirty clothes into the hamper, help me carry the separated piles of laundry to the washing machine, and pick up the living room. Once we move into our own apartment, they will be responsible for taking out the trash from their room, fixing their beds, putting their clothes into the hamper, and vacuuming their room.

acrogodess Mar. 28, 2009 at 4:10 PM

I agree that chores are good for childre. They're good for mom and dad too! Not only one person makes a mess, so why should only one person have to clean the house? It's good for a family to work togther to maintain what they have.

BaisMom Mar. 28, 2009 at 4:19 PM

Of course chores are good for children. You moms who got them started at age two and made it  fun while they were little rock! Yes I think kids should be kids and focus on school first, but housework is part of life for EVERYONE, not just a mom. Learning to keep one's living space clean enough to live in is as much part of an education as math and reading.

whirlygirl Mar. 28, 2009 at 5:04 PM