Teaching Children Responsibility

Starting tonight, I'm going to be introducing a new chore system. Everyone including Mom and Dad will take care of some of the responsibilities of dinner. I did have a hard time coming up with five things everyone could do every night. I'm hoping this will be a good experience for the whole family. I can't do everything around the house. I'm feeling like my evenings are being wasted with spending an excessive amount of cleaning. I just wrote on each stick a chore and placed them in a jar. I will have everyone pull a stick out and this will hopefuly keep the kids fighting over chore duties. So, what type of chore system does your family use? What works and what doesn't!

The Importance of Chores

Why chores are important

Here's the reality, and American society's dirty little secret-many kids don't learn how to wash their clothes, cook a meal, mow a lawn, make a bed, or even effectively wash a dish until they've moved out of the house. (In other words, you're not the only one with a demanding slug for a child!) Yet, most people agree that kids do benefit from having a role in the daily operations of the family.

Figuring out the right amount of responsibility is a balancing act. Kids work very hard. Between schoolwork, learning to deal with social situations, and, for many kids, their many extracurricular involvements, kids have very little “down” time. They need a chance to play, relax, daydream, nap. At the same time, teaching children life skills (and I'm talking kids of both sexes here, by the way) has a number of benefits:
It's a Good Idea!

Think about the benefits of family responsibilities as more than just learning survival skills. It's the participation that matters. Participating in family responsibilities helps a child develop essential social skills.

A person who enters college, or an independent living situation, with life skills will have a far easier time living with roommates.

Family responsibilities teach basic discipline.

The skills learned from having family responsibilities include time management, prioritizing tasks, and general organizational abilities.
With family participation, the parents don't have to slave their life away serving the royal offspring.

Most importantly, the child understands that he is part of a community (your family) and that as a member of the community, he needs to share responsibilities to keep the community going.

Check out Family Education website for more information and articles!